The White Sox starting rotation has been a topic of conversation all offseason, as it has changed significantly over the past year. Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Mike Clevinger, who combined for 66 starts last season, are no longer on the team. The rotation to open the 2024 season will look a lot different than it did at this time just one year ago.
Locks
Dylan Cease is a lock, of course. Even coming off a down season by his standards, he still pitched 177 innings, struck out 214, and compiled 3.7 fWAR in 2023. He will get the ball for the Sox on Opening Day against the Tigers, though he may get dealt at the trade deadline.
Erick Fedde is also a lock to make the rotation but for different reasons than Cease. A veteran of six MLB seasons, the 31-year-old Fedde spent his entire MLB career to date with the Washington Nationals. He did not fare well in his initial MLB stint and pitched in Korea in 2023. He revitalized his career overseas, winning the equivalent of the Cy Young and MVP awards with the NC Dinos. Fedde parlayed his success in Asia into a two-year, $15 million contract with the White Sox this offseason and will undoubtedly have a rotation spot to open the season.
Near Lock
Michael Soroka is not a 100% lock to make the rotation to start the season, but he most likely will. Acquired in the Aaron Bummer trade this offseason, the 26-year-old right-hander was an All-Star for the Atlanta Braves in 2019. Unfortunately for him, he has been derailed by injuries since then, including tearing his Achilles tendon twice and having inflammation in his right forearm. However, Soroka seems healthy now, as he has a 3.60 ERA in five spring innings with seven strikeouts. His stuff looks good, and barring something unforeseen, Soroka should make the rotation.
Other Candidates
Michael Kopech is a name all Sox fans are familiar with. Acquired in the Chris Sale trade in 2016, the 27-year-old Kopech has battled injury and inconsistency throughout his White Sox career. He made 27 starts last season but was inconsistent and had the highest ERA, walk rate, WHIP, and FIP of his career in 2023. He will likely make the rotation, but Pedro Grifol has said that is not guaranteed. Whatever his role ends up being, this is a crucial season for Kopech’s MLB career trajectory.
Chris Flexen signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Sox this offseason. A veteran of parts of six MLB seasons, the 29-year-old Flexen was very bad last year. In 102.1 innings with the Mariners and Rockies in 2023, Flexen pitched to a 6.86 ERA, 6.22 FIP, and 1.67 WHIP. Given his guaranteed contract, he will likely make the team in some capacity, including a potential rotation spot.
Chad Kuhl signed a minor league deal this offseason. The 31-year-old struggled mightily with the Nationals last season, pitching to an 8.45 ERA and 1.96 WHIP in 38.1 innings. However, he has been pretty good this spring, so there might be a role on the team somewhere.
Garrett Crochet is a household name for Sox fans. While he has never started an MLB game, he has some experience doing so at the college level and has gotten off to a fantastic start this spring. It is currently unclear what role he will have this season, but he is a candidate for the rotation if the organization views him as a starting pitcher.
Nick Nastrini’s name has come up in some of my recent articles. The 24-year-old right-hander is the most MLB-ready pitching prospect the White Sox have and has pitched well this spring. He only has four career starts at the AAA level but could make the Sox MLB rotation to open the season if he keeps pitching well this spring.
Brad Keller just signed a minor-league deal with the Sox the other day. The 28-year-old former Royal has made 114 MLB starts in six years but has never been anything special. He might be a factor in the White Sox rotation, but he will likely start the season in AAA if he stays in the organization after spring training.
Other candidates include Touki Toussaint, Jake Woodford, and Jared Shuster, though it seems unlikely that any of those three will crack the rotation to open the season.
Final Word
The fight for the final two White Sox starting rotation spots to open the season is fierce. There are so many potential options, and it likely comes down to who performs the best down the stretch of spring training. I think the last two rotation spots will go to Kopech and Flexen to open the season, with Nastrini replacing Flexen at some point. But we will see how it plays out.
