53 minutes ago, Timmy U said:

I think the Sox will employ more than 5 starters by May 1. They have so many multi-inning guys that I can see Venable mixing and matching with guys like Fedde, Newcomb, and Vasil (or Paez if he makes the team) based on opponents and also to give extra rest to Kay (coming back from pitching once a week in Japan) and Shane Smith. So, I am not really that concerned with who the initial 5 are.

I agree, I think there will be a good number of piggyback starts of two guys combining for 6-7IP. You fulfill the "chance to start" offered to a couple guys, manage workload for the guys who need it, build up innings/confidence for the guys who need that instead, etc. Shoring up the pen gets them a good amount of flexibility to let Vasil/Taylor pitch 3-4 innings early instead of 1-2 innings late.

Should also make it easy to incorporate the next wave of call ups, many of whom will have experience piggybacking in the minors.

If they are serious about stretching out Vasil as a starter, there is a world where he could get sent to Charlotte to start the season... I'm not advocating for that (I like him in the pen), but he does have all his options, and if we're looking at how to maximize a 40-man roster crunch, he'd be a potential way to do so without needing to get creative or entertain DFA'ing someone.

2 hours ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

If they are serious about stretching out Vasil as a starter, there is a world where he could get sent to Charlotte to start the season... I'm not advocating for that (I like him in the pen), but he does have all his options, and if we're looking at how to maximize a 40-man roster crunch, he'd be a potential way to do so without needing to get creative or entertain DFA'ing someone.

When's the last time a young pitcher who was "successful" in the majors was sent down the following year for a majority of the season?

Hard to think of many examples.

Sox fans wanted to do that with Kopech at various points but it never happened.

Brandon McCarthy is one of the ones that comes to mind from back in 2006. Blocked by the Javy V. Experience.

10 hours ago, kitekrazy said:

if the Cardinals couldn't fix him I doubt the Sox can.

Maybe he needs his Korean pitching coach.

 

This doesn’t make any sense. One reason why St. Louis is where they are is their lack of pitching development. Brian Bannister fixed Fedde the first time. He’s probably the guy most likely to do it again. 

20 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

This doesn’t make any sense. One reason why St. Louis is where they are is their lack of pitching development. Brian Bannister fixed Fedde the first time. He’s probably the guy most likely to do it again. 

Probably not the greatest idea for them to take on the enigma of Dustin May...

For $1.5 million, there should be no more complaining on this board about the signing of Fedde.  If he pitches well enough to eat innings and give the young guys time to get up with the club, it's a good signing.  Anything more than that is a win.  At worst, he sucks and doesn't make it to opening day.  The most likely outcome is he's mediocre but gives the Sox 5 innings or so most starts, which is fine.

35 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Probably not the greatest idea for them to take on the enigma of Dustin May...

?

12 minutes ago, hogan873 said:

For $1.5 million, there should be no more complaining on this board about the signing of Fedde.  If he pitches well enough to eat innings and give the young guys time to get up with the club, it's a good signing.  Anything more than that is a win.  At worst, he sucks and doesn't make it to opening day.  The most likely outcome is he's mediocre but gives the Sox 5 innings or so most starts, which is fine.

90-95% of the board would be elated with Chris Flexen 2024 numbers...

With better availability than M.Perez.

4 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

?

if the Cards are struggling with pitching development...that will be their toughest fix of all.

Or Buehler/Paddack from the bargain bin.

Edited February 12Feb 12 by caulfield12

23 minutes ago, hogan873 said:

For $1.5 million, there should be no more complaining on this board about the signing of Fedde.  If he pitches well enough to eat innings and give the young guys time to get up with the club, it's a good signing.  Anything more than that is a win.  At worst, he sucks and doesn't make it to opening day.  The most likely outcome is he's mediocre but gives the Sox 5 innings or so most starts, which is fine.

I agree let's see what he can do, low risk. Veneable already said Schultz & Smith are not going north once camp breaks and could possibly be up later in the season.

MLB minimum salary is $780,00 in 2026.

1 hour ago, hogan873 said:

For $1.5 million, there should be no more complaining on this board about the signing of Fedde.  If he pitches well enough to eat innings and give the young guys time to get up with the club, it's a good signing.  Anything more than that is a win.  At worst, he sucks and doesn't make it to opening day.  The most likely outcome is he's mediocre but gives the Sox 5 innings or so most starts, which is fine.

The most likely outcome is not that he's mediocre.

If the Sox who could turn Adrian Houser, who was never really any good into a quality pitcher, I have faith that they can fix Fedde who they have already fixed before. I would have preferred someone better obviously, but whatever.

1 hour ago, hogan873 said:

For $1.5 million, there should be no more complaining on this board about the signing of Fedde.  

Wouldn't want payroll getting too bloated after all.

11 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

If the Sox who could turn Adrian Houser, who was never really any good into a quality pitcher, I have faith that they can fix Fedde who they have already fixed before. I would have preferred someone better obviously, but whatever.

If you read the Houser story, his transformation happened in the off-season with PitchingWRX. Pretty weird he was released after his stuff showing up that spring with the rangers. 

Good read on the Houser change here.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/12/22/how-sf-giants-adrian-houser-turned-velocity-increase-into-career-year/

2 hours ago, hogan873 said:

For $1.5 million, there should be no more complaining on this board about the signing of Fedde.  If he pitches well enough to eat innings and give the young guys time to get up with the club, it's a good signing.  Anything more than that is a win.  At worst, he sucks and doesn't make it to opening day.  The most likely outcome is he's mediocre but gives the Sox 5 innings or so most starts, which is fine.

Huh?  I think many posters were expecting that the Sox would go after a better starting pitcher option since better names were/are still available.

1 hour ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

The most likely outcome is not that he's mediocre.

Well, mediocre for the Sox is different than mediocre for other teams.  Slightly worse than career average and eating about 4-5 innings per start would be fine for what he'll be paid and expected to do.

4 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Huh?  I think many posters were expecting that the Sox would go after a better starting pitcher option since better names were/are still available.

I'm not disagreeing that the Sox could have signed someone better.  But Fedde was signed, so that's what I'm talking about.

3 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Huh?  I think many posters were expecting that the Sox would go after a better starting pitcher option since better names were/are still available.

With so many young arms needing time in the MLB, that was an unrealistic expectation. Why would a pitcher sign here knowing they were a stop gap? Only those with something to prove.

7 hours ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

If you read the Houser story, his transformation happened in the off-season with PitchingWRX. Pretty weird he was released after his stuff showing up that spring with the rangers. 

Good read on the Houser change here.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/12/22/how-sf-giants-adrian-houser-turned-velocity-increase-into-career-year/

I think Houser had an opt out. He wasn’t released, he bet on himself. I would be surprised if multiple teams, including the Sox, didn’t hint to his agent that there would be big league opportunities for him elsewhere. Remember, the Rangers rotation was pretty stacked last year.

3 hours ago, ptatc said:

With so many young arms needing time in the MLB, that was an unrealistic expectation. Why would a pitcher sign here knowing they were a stop gap? Only those with something to prove.

Quintana is very arguably a better pitcher than Fedde, signed for $6 million with the Rockies, and will more than likely be traded by the deadline, which is the very definition of a stop gap.  I can’t imagine he wouldn’t have signed with the Sox considering home games at Coors are going to destroy his stats this year.  I also don’t think that $6 million for a year should have been unrealistic considering the Sox needs.

Edited February 12Feb 12 by WhiteSox2023

I kinda think fixing Fedde a second time, even if not quite back to his 2024 form, could have benefits outside of his actual production just by continuing to build a reputation as an org with a pitching lab that can unlock or recover a guy's best stuff.

These guys talk to each other, Newcomb has mentioned asking Vasil and Smith about the team and pitching staff before signing in the offseason because they were all working out at the same gym.

Eventually we (hopefully) won't have the same amount of open runway available for guys, but might as well try to get some reputational gains while you do. It's clearly a focus of Brian "get pitchers paid" Bannister at least.

1 hour ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Quintana is very arguably a better pitcher than Fedde, signed for $6 million with the Rockies, and will more than likely be traded by the deadline, which is the very definition of a stop gap.  I can’t imagine he wouldn’t have signed with the Sox considering home games at Coors are going to destroy his stats this year.  I also don’t think that $6 million for a year should have been unrealistic considering the Sox needs.

It really doesn't matter as anyone they signed here will be gone. Are you sure he would have sogned here if he was told he was gone at the all start break?

If the money is the same at least he gets to pick where he is llay8ng during the season as opposed to relying on the Sox to trade him. And if the Sox had to outbid a team to overpay him to sign for only half a season, it wouldn't be worth it.

12 minutes ago, ptatc said:

It really doesn't matter as anyone they signed here will be gone. Are you sure he would have sogned here if he was told he was gone at the all start break?

If the money is the same at least he gets to pick where he is llay8ng during the season as opposed to relying on the Sox to trade him. And if the Sox had to outbid a team to overpay him to sign for only half a season, it wouldn't be worth it.

And Quintana's kind of a known entity. He can give you 25-30 starts, tops out under 3 bWAR, now, the HRs are creeping up while the strikeouts creep down. Fedde's 5 years younger, and only a year removed from a 5 bWAR season. 

8 hours ago, 46DidIt said:

Wouldn't want payroll getting too bloated after all.

We're going Up Up Up to 28th (must  be sung to "Golden")

Ofc the Marlins (30th) have made the playoffs more recently and Cleveland (29th) has a run of 7/10 post season appearances, the Ramirez extension to make him a lifetime Guardian (Sox still sitting on Benintendi's $75 million as biggest contract and only remainingt MLB team below $100) AND a better farm system to boot.

On 2/12/2026 at 5:04 AM, Y2Jimmy0 said:

This doesn’t make any sense. One reason why St. Louis is where they are is their lack of pitching development. Brian Bannister fixed Fedde the first time. He’s probably the guy most likely to do it again. 

like the Sox are the icons of pitching......makes perfect sense