The White Sox Should Consider Bringing Back An Old Friend

The White Sox have been very busy this off-season, as today they continued to spend the money saved from trading Luis Robert Jr. This time the White Sox added an outfielder, as they have reportedly agreed to terms with former Cincinnati Red, Austin Hays.

This is a very good move, as it makes the White Sox outfield significantly better. Unfortunately, this will likely be the last major league addition in the lineup for the foreseeable future. With that being said, the White Sox will have a much more respectable lineup next season, likely winning 70+ games. But, if they truly want to take another step, they could really use another starter.

With $16 million or so of the Robert Jr. money already spent, this would only leave around four million for a starting pitcher. While they might not be able to get a starting pitcher for that cheap, they should go past the $20 million, as it could be a great use of that money.

I don’t see the White Sox signing any of the bigger names left on the market, like Zac Gallen or Framber Valdez, but I could certainly see them adding a good pitcher to help eat innings until the younger arms join the team.

The White Sox could be interested in bringing back an old friend, as Erick Fedde is still a free agent. Fedde still has a connection to the White Sox, as he was one of the first free agents Chris Getz signed after his promotion to General Manager.

Last season didn’t go as planned for Fedde, as he threw 141 innings, recording 83 strikeouts and posted a 5.49 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP. These aren’t the numbers he was looking to have after his 2024 season, but he finished the year strong with the Brewers.

Fedde is just one year removed from a stellar 2024 season with the White Sox, where he posted a 3.11 ERA over 121 innings, striking out 108 batters and recording a 1.18 WHIP. That performance helped land Miguel Vargas from the Dodgers in a three team trade.

1️⃣1️⃣ Ks! A new career-high for Erick Fedde. pic.twitter.com/XRUfSDYbNR

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 24, 2024

While Fedde’s 2025 stats aren’t ideal, perhaps the familiarity with the White Sox staff could get him back on track. At the absolute worst, Fedde would just need to eat up some innings until Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith join the team at some point. While he likely wouldn’t repeat his 2024 season with the Sox, I would bet that he would be significantly better than he was in 2025.

With the White Sox unlikely to dish out 10+ million for a starter at this point, Fedde could be a perfect buy-low candidate for the rotation, as he could get back on track with the White Sox. I could even see Fedde taking a minor league deal with incentives at this point in the off-season. The White Sox need to add a veteran starter to help eat some innings while guys get healthy, and Fedde could fit that bill.