With several rotation spots up for grabs and pitchers and catchers set to report to spring training, the White Sox decided to bring an old friend back into the mix.
On Monday, the White Sox reportedly signed right-hander Erick Fedde to a one-year deal. The reunion appears mutually beneficial. The White Sox get an innings-eater for the back end of the rotation, while Fedde gets a chance to rebuild his value after a rough 2025 season that included a 5.49 ERA over 141 innings with the Cardinals, Braves, and Brewers.
However, with Chris Paddock, who has a slightly better track record than Fedde, signing a $4 million deal with the Marlins, questions arise as to whether Fedde was the best fit for the White Sox.
The White Sox initially took a flier on Fedde in 2024 after he won the Korea Baseball Organization’s Choi Dong-won Award — the KBO’s equivalent of the Cy Young Award — and was named league MVP. The former first-round pick had struggled over his first six major league seasons, posting a 5.65 ERA across 454.1 innings before revitalizing his career overseas.
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However, Fedde was able to turn his KBO success into an MLB return with the White Sox, who signed him to a two-year, $15 million deal. After posting a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts for the White Sox, the club was able to flip him at the trade deadline, as part of a three-team deal with the Cardinals and Dodgers.
Since being traded, Fedde has struggled to recapture the success he found on the South Side. His already modest strikeout rate dipped further, while his walk rate spiked to 13.3 percent.
Pinpoint command was a key driver of his effectiveness with the White Sox, but once that command began to slip in St. Louis, his results followed. After 20 starts, the Cardinals dealt him to the Braves for minimal return, and Atlanta released him weeks later after opponents hit .313 against him in five appearances.
A reunion with Brian Bannister could help Fedde rediscover that lost command, but it’s fair to question whether the White Sox would have been better served going in a different direction.
Fedde does offer durability, logging a combined 317.1 innings over the past two seasons. Still, the White Sox already have a crowded camp, with several arms competing for the final two rotation spots. Sean Newcomb and Mike Vasil will get opportunities to break through, while Ky Bush and Drew Thorpe are expected back from injury. The newly acquired David Sandlin also figures to get an extended look in camp.
The aforementioned Paddack, meanwhile, brings more experience in the AL Central and, despite comparable surface numbers, posted a significantly better walk rate and a 31% chase rate last season. Zac Gallen, Lucas Giolito, and Chris Bassitt also remain unsigned and could have represented alternative fits.
That said, given the state of the roster and a thin free-agent market, it’s hard to criticize the move. Was it the flashiest signing the White Sox could have made? No. Will it transform the team overnight? Also no. But the signing does fill several key needs.
The White Sox were looking for another veteran arm—especially with Anthony Kay, returning from an overseas stint, now being the longest-tenured MLB pitcher in the rotation. They also needed a workhorse capable of eating innings.
If Fedde can provide 100-plus innings and rediscover even part of his 2024 form, the signing will be viewed as a success.
Even if he doesn’t secure a spot in the rotation, he can fill a swingman role and provide much-needed depth in the event of injuries — an especially valuable option for a team that was often forced to rely on an opener strategy last season.
On a short-term deal, he could also become a trade deadline chip once the organization’s younger arms are ready for promotion.
