Lost in the sad news that Liam Hendriks would no longer be on the White Sox was a flurry of other moves. Hendriks is not the only big-name pitcher who will no longer be wearing a Sox uniform.
On Friday the team announced that Mike Clevinger had declined his mutual option worth $12 million which will result in the White Sox having to pay him a $4 million buyout. Meanwhile, outfielders Clint Frazier and Tracyce Thompson were outrighted to Triple-A.
The moves cut the White Sox’s 40-man roster down to 36 players. Here is how these moves impact the White Sox.
Mike Clevinger
Clevinger is coming off a solid season on the South Side.
The 32-year-old started 24 games, posting a 3.77 ERA and 1.226 WHIP in 131.1 innings. The right-hander also struck out 110 batters and walked just 40.
He was initially signed to be the team’s fifth starter. From a statistical standpoint, he turned out to be the White Sox’s most effective starter in 2023. Clevinger led the team with nine quality starts.
He also has a Pitching Run-Value that ranks in the MLB’s 93rd percentile according to Baseball Savant. His Fastball and Offspeed Run-Value also place in baseball’s top 82nd and 84th percentile.
His improved command was the key to his success. He entered his final start of the season with a streak of 139 batters faced without issuing a walk. According to Christopher Kamka, it was the longest by a White Sox pitcher since LaMarr Hoyt put together a streak of 167 in 1983.
Clevinger would have been a nice arm to bring back for Getz. The rotation requires some more veterans to bridge the gap between the young arms they have in the farm system.
The fact that he wants to test the market comes as no surprise. However, it does leave the White Sox with some major holes in the starting rotation.
Clevinger did leave the door open for a potential return telling NBC Sports Chicago that he is “all ears and open to talk” if Chris Getz reached out.
Clevinger’s tenure didn’t come without some off-the-field distractions. After Clevinger signed with the White Sox last December, news dropped that he was at the center of an MLB investigation into domestic violence and child abuse allegations.
Because of this most fans are not sad to see him go.
Trayce Thompson
Trayce Thompson would have qualified for arbitration this season so the decision to non-tender him was an easy one. After being outrighted he is likely to elect free agency.
Thompson was a strange thrown-in piece of a midseason trade that sent Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers. At the time of the trade, Thompson was still on the injured list.
He was reinstated on August 3rd and finished the season with the White Sox. He hit .171/.261/.232 with one home run and three RBIs in 36 games on the South Side. Even more alarming was his 43.5% strikeout rate in 92 plate appearances. A low average, no power, and lots of strikeouts made it a simple decision for Getz.
The 2023 season marked Thompson’s third stint in a White Sox uniform. He was drafted by the team in 2009 and made his MLB debut in 2015. The following season he went to the Dodgers before returning to the White Sox in 2018. After some brief stops with the Cubs and Padres, he returned to the Dodgers in 2022.
Thompson has shown some flashes of potential with the Dodgers. During the second half of the 2022 season, he erupted for 13 home runs and a .268 average in 74 games. But Thompson is already 32 years old and after seven years in the MLB, that type of production seems to be an outlier.
Clint Frazier
For a brief moment, Clint Frazier looked like he could be a bargain bin pickup that panned out for Rick Hahn.
Frazier signed a minor league deal with the White Sox at the end of April and he was promoted to the MLB roster a month later. The former top prospect was viewed as a low-risk signing with a high ceiling.
The early returns were promising. He reached base in his first four games with the White Sox. Unfortunately, the production eventually faltered and he finished the season with a .197/.303/.242 slash line in 33 MLB games.
Frazier was worth a roll of the dice but now it is time to move on.
