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White Sox sign Anthony Kay to 2Y/12M deal


Sleepy Harold

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1) At his age and contract numbers, simply a placeholder to protect the injured/rehabbing pitchers and better prospects that are still at least 3-4 months away.

2) With any success similar to Fedde, likely a trade and flip guy.  Contract numbers will be quite affordable for basically any contender out there looking for deadline upgrades.

3) Still doesn't exceed $5 million per season...that was likely the limit to JR's budget for FA signings.

4) Essentially replaced Trevor Bauer for the BayStars.

5) Looks like DaVitt and Cannon will be battling it out for the fifth spot...and possibly another Rule 5 guy.

6) Nice to have at least one lefty for some balance in the rotation.  One concern is everyone in the Sox rotation throws basically the same speed...93-95 mph, with the exception of Shane Smith.

7) Vasil still in the bullpen?  Probably? Maybe?

😎 Probably puts NPB FA Takahashi in the $15-25 million range.  And finally, perhaps Kay can help the Sox with recruiting one of his teammates?

"Our ace Katsuki Azuma, a little lefty. He throws 88 to 90 and a bunch of different pitches and can just dot it everywhere...(sounds a lot like Imanaga with a lesser FB, so even more dependent on pin point control).  And Andre Johnson a fellow BayStar."

Edited by caulfield12
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7 minutes ago, soxrwhite said:

Just food for thought. What if?...... The Sox kept Fedde, and Houser. Added Kay to Martin and Smith for a 5 man rotation, with a bunch of our young prospects nipping at their heels?

Well Fedde went south pretty quickly after the trade.

Houser slipped as well.

Just depends on how much impact Katz and Bannister had.

Remember...these guys AND Kay are/were all vets and in their 30's, so the odds were always  going to be against them being around for the 2028-2030 "competitive window."

Not sure either guy would have been offered more than $5-$7.5 million per season to stick around anyway.  The goal was always to limit the number of bigger contracts on the books for the 2027 lockout year when attendance might really bottom out depending on how bitter the dispute turns out to be (1994-95 was particularly devastating to almost all teams across what is now the AL/NL Central, the Heartland and Rust Belt down to Cincy.)

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6 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

Sinker had a nasty 86% ground ball rate last year

But remember he has to now adjust from majority flat swinging "dead ball era" hitters in Japan to more common lift and pull/uppercut swings in the US.

One side or the other will prevail.

But two totally different games/styles.

Edited by caulfield12
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SoxMachine clocks in...

Looking overseas for rotation help, White Sox sign Anthony Kay to two-year deal - Sox Machine

Quote

A source told James that Kay had better offers to stay in Japan, but that he will return to Major League Baseball with a chance to stake a claim in the White Sox rotation, which needed a left-hander to replace Martín Pérez. Kay has allowed just one stolen base in three opportunities over his 44 games and 85⅓ innings in the majors, so his presence already seems guaranteed to help the White Sox in their quest to suppress the running game.

 

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41 minutes ago, 2Deep said:

Don't know anything about him so i will reserve judgement.  

the track record says that  he maybe our highest paid off season move.  

I hate Jerry and what this organization has done to my fandom.  

Merkin has a Winter Meetings preview out now that says Getz is looking for a LH bat for a corner spot.  I’d wager that player could easily blow this deal out of the water, even if I don’t believe they will go three years or above $30M on anyone.

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10 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

We do a lot of that.  Similar happened with Taylor.

Taylor I get to some extent, but Vasil has averaged ~120 innings pitched the last three years.  He should be able to handle a starter’s workload.  Maybe they prefer him as a reliever, but it’s not his K popped up moving to the bullpen.  Just curious on the why more than anything as I’d personally rather see him the rotation vs. Cannon or Davitt.

Edited by Chicago White Sox
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9 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Taylor I get to some extent, but Vasil has averaged ~120 innings pitched the last three years.  He should be able to handle a starter’s workload.  Maybe they prefer him as a reliever, but it’s not his K popped up moving to the bullpen.  Just curious on the why more than anything as I’d personally rather see him the rotation vs. Cannon or Davitt.

Only thing I can guess is that he struggled as a starter in the minors with the Mets in 2023 and 2024, finally had success as a reliever last year, so they don’t want to mess with him.  But I agree with you, he seems like the perfect candidate for a cheap rebuilding team to try as a starter again.

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O`Hearn (not really an everyday OF), W.Castro (terrible after trade) Yazstremski and Kepler are your Tier B/C LHH corner guys.

Yuck!!!

 

Other Free Agent Corner Outfielders: Tommy Pham (nope), ***Michael Conforto, Lane Thomas (30), ***Dylan Carlson (at least younger), Chris Taylor, Mitch Haniger (almost 35), Hunter Renfroe, Austin Slater (not happening again), Kiké Hernandez (LAD), Jason Heyward (retiring?), ***Alex Verdugo (29, -0.3 bWAR)

 

So 7 options...none all that appealing, O'Hearn best fit but not in the OF.

Buy low/pillow on Castro?

Kepler/Yazstremski both familiar with Central.

 

So Benintendi to DH full time?

That would block Sosa perhaps unless you play him at first.

Edited by caulfield12
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