Once one of baseball’s best pitchers, Dallas Keuchel is now the odd man out in the Chicago White Sox starting rotation.
The White Sox, who have a multitude of options at starting pitcher, announced on Saturday that Keuchel had been designated for assignment.
Prior to tonight’s series opener vs. the Chicago Cubs, the #WhiteSox designated left-handed pitcher Dallas Keuchel for assignment and recalled infielder Danny Mendick from Class AAA Charlotte.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 28, 2022
For MLB fans, this move was largely seen as a good one from Chicago’s perspective.
Thought it was the right signing at the right time.
After 2020, it never worked. Good for White Sox to cut ties now. https://t.co/hKs240xwsK
— Ryan McGuffey (@RyanMcGuffey) May 28, 2022
Grand opening, grand closing. https://t.co/IMQIZB71Fn
— Russell Dorsey (@Russ_Dorsey1) May 28, 2022
Had to be done https://t.co/jJTMwXzlP8
— Matt Zahn (@mattzahnsports) May 28, 2022
Felt this coming… https://t.co/WhOg9DEDyx
— Dionne Miller (@dmillerabc7) May 28, 2022
The White Sox now have 10 days to trade Keuchel, though he could be claimed off of waivers by another team in that time. If neither happens, he can either accept a Minor League assignment or become a free agent.
Despite Keuchel’s struggles, though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get at least one more shot elsewhere.
White Sox announce they are designating Dallas Keuchel for assignment. He’s struggled this year, but it’s always jarring to see a name like that cut loose like this. Would imagine he will have plenty of suitors.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) May 28, 2022
A veteran lefty starter with a high groundball rate. Sounds familiar for a #stlcards team searching for innings. https://t.co/LGJO211V4p
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) May 28, 2022
#STLCards? Worth a shot. https://t.co/a3II5Zbq8G
— Ben Frederickson (@Ben_Fred) May 28, 2022
Maybe the #Mets would consider signing Dallas Keuchel once he clears waivers. Have nothing to lose there.
— Michael Baron (@michaelgbaron) May 28, 2022
The Yankees have Matt Blake, which means they can fix Kuechel. I also see the Rays saying f it and seeing if they can rekindle the magic 😂 https://t.co/uf8INXkEAa
— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) May 28, 2022
Any team taking a chance on Keuchel will be hoping he can find an old spark.
Keuchel was one of MLB’s best pitchers from 2014-2019. During that time, he posted a 75-53 record with a 3.33 ERA and 1.198 WHIP. He won the 2015 American League Cy Young Award with the Houston Astros and was the Houston’s Game 1 starting pitcher in the 2017 World Series.
In 2020, he signed a three-year deal with the White Sox. The first year in Chicago went well, as Keuchel finished fifth in American League Cy Young voting with a 1.99 ERA and 1.089 WHIP with a 6-2 record during the shortened season. But even during Keuchel’s best years, he pitched to contact more than most other top pitchers of this era. From 2014-2019 he struck out 7.4 hitters per nine innings. That K/9 rate dropped to 6.0 in 2020. In 2021, the contact caught up with him.
Keuchel had a 5.28 ERA and 1.531 WHIP in 2021 with a 5.3 K/9 rate. The strikeout rate got better in 2022 but at 5.6, was still not good. The contact, meanwhile, got louder, as he had a 7.88 ERA and 2.156 WHIP before being designated for assignment.
