On the last day of the 2022 regular season, Erick Fedde let up nine runs in two and a half innings during his last appearance on a Major League mound.
After that awful outing, he had a 5.81 ERA in 127 innings that season and a 5.41 career ERA in six Nationals seasons. The first-round selection in 2014 required a new beginning.
He discovered that in Korea, where in 2023 he was the KBO’s greatest pitcher. For the NC Dinos, the right-hander pitched 180 1/3 innings, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA, 209 strikeouts, and just 35 walks. Fedde received the KBO’s version of the Cy Young Award, the Choi Dong-won Award, after his outstanding season. It also helped him gain interest from a few teams this summer as a free agent.
Fedde stated on MLB Network Radio on Monday that he felt the White Sox were the greatest match for him upon his return to the Majors, despite receiving competitive offers from four or five other organizations. On December 13, the two parties concluded a $15 million, two-year pact.
“I knew I could come in and be a guy that hopefully they leaned on, someone who could pitch up at the top of that rotation and try to help a team get going again,” Fedde remarked.
He continued by saying he was pleased with the common vision that Brian Bannister, senior advisor to pitching, pitching coach Ethan Katz, and general manager Chris Getz had. All of them emphasized to Fedde how they wanted to instill a new culture in a team that had lost 101 games in the previous season—more than any other since 1970.
The White Sox have added a few seasoned pitchers to their roster this winter, which is part of the transformation that involves an infusion of leadership and experience. In addition to Fedde, they signed right-handed starter Chris Flexen and left-handed reliever Tim Hill, acquired right-handed starter Michael Soroka through a trade with the Braves, and, according to a source, reached an agreement to sign right-handed reliever John Brebbia.
“I believe it’s merely introducing those men who understand what winning actually looks like and attempting to impart that abundance of wisdom,” Fedde remarked. “That’s thrilling.”