The White Sox won’t wait until next week’s MLB Winter Meetings to pursue free agents.
On Wednesday, the South Siders signed former Blue Jays left-hander Anthony Kay to a two-year deal worth $12 million. His contract includes a $10 million option for 2028 and a $2 million buyout. Kay becomes the 35th player on the 40-man roster and fills Chicago’s need for an experienced starter.
Kay joins the Sox after a breakout two-year stint with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. He had a career 5.59 ERA and 1.61 WHIP over five years in the MLB while pitching out of the bullpen, but he was a very different pitcher in Japan. Promoted to the rotation, Kay compiled a cumulative 2.49 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 84 earned runs in just over 300 innings pitched for the BayStars. His impressive 9-6 record, supported by a 1.74 ERA and a WHIP of less than 1.00 over 155 innings, shows clear growth and development since leaving the Majors.
Chris Getz pulled an old trick out of his pocket in hopes that Kay’s tenure with the Sox will go much like Erick Fedde’s in 2024. Fedde struggled for six years with the Nationals before reviving his career in the KBO. He returned to the United States on a two-year, $15 million deal with the Sox, where he served as a solid innings-eater and mentor to the young starters on the squad. Kay clearly has the potential to be more than just a workhorse for the Pale Hose, but the real test will be whether his success in Japan translates to Chicago. At the very least, he offers lefty depth and provides a young rotation that shouldn’t be pushed aside. Best case scenario, he becomes a valuable trade chip in July or even stays at the club and becomes their new asset.
In a stealthy, strategic way, Getz tipped off his Winter Meetings strategy early on. Sox fans can expect similar budget-friendly, buy-low, sell-high free agents to join the team in the coming weeks. While few of the roster changes are dramatic in the second year of the rebuild, the GM may be able to prove that strategy doesn’t have to be glamorous.
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