After losing 101 games in 2023, one of the worst seasons in franchise history, the Chicago White Sox have been looking anywhere and everywhere to improve.
As of Tuesday, that includes even looking in Korea.
The White Sox agreed to a two-year $15 million contract with pitcher Erick Fedde, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Tuesday. Fedde is the reigning Korea Baseball Organization MVP after going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA for the NC Dinos.
Right-hander Erick Fedde and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $15 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Fedde, 30, went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA for the NC Dinos in the KBO, where he was named MVP this year.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 5, 2023
Fedde pitched for the Washington Nationals from 2017-22 before the team non-tendered him after the 2022 season leading the Las Vegas native to sign with the Dinos. He was the first foreign-born pitcher in KBO history to win 20 or more games and record 200 or more strikeouts in a season.
Before heading to Korea, Fedde struggled to prevent runs from scoring. He finished seventh in the National League in runs allowed in 2021 (81 in 133.1 innings pitched) and finished tenth in the National League in runs allowed in 2022 (82 in 127 innings).
However, as shown by Passan’s tweet, clearly something clicked for the 30-year-old in Korea where he was able to put it together and excel. While MLB has a higher level of competition than the KBO, if Fedde can be anything close to the player he was in Korea instead of the player he was at the end of his time in Washington, the White Sox may have found a gem in free agency.
