The White Sox might have missed out on a long-term addition to their starting rotation when Zack Wheeler picked the Philadelphia Phillies, but they’ve added someone with an even better resume.
Dallas Keuchel will reportedly join the South Side starting staff, according to a report from ESPN's Jeff Passan, giving the White Sox one major piece of their starting-pitching puzzle heading into 2020. MLB Network's Jon Heyman followed with a report that the deal is three years in length, with a vesting option for a fourth.
Rick Hahn’s front office was on the hunt for two arms to add to the rotation this winter, and though they got one with the recent signing of veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez, that move left plenty to be desired from a "splash" standpoint, despite the resume he's built over his All-Star career.
Keuchel, though, brings a big name to the White Sox rotation, a pitcher capable of pairing with Lucas Giolito at the top of the staff. The 31-year-old southpaw — he'll turn 32 on New Year's Day — has experience going through a rebuild and coming out the other end a world champion. He was part of the World Series-winning Houston Astros in 2017, adding a ring to a collection that already included the 2015 AL Cy Young Award.
Those two seasons were dazzling for Keuchel. He won 20 games with a 2.48 ERA in 2015 — when he led the American League with a 1.02 WHIP — and he posted a 2.90 ERA in that championship season. The other three seasons in the last five have been significantly less impressive. In 2016, he had a 4.55 ERA, followed by near-identical 3.74 and 3.75 marks in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
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Keuchel was a victim of the draft-pick compensation triggered when he rejected the Astros’ qualifying offer last offseason. He remained unsigned until June, when the Atlanta Braves picked him up on a one-year deal. He made 19 starts for the NL East champs, with a 3.75 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 112.2 innings.
Keuchel brings a reliable presence to the front of the White Sox rotation, but he also brings winning experience that should be helpful to a young pitching staff and a young clubhouse. Keuchel can serve as an example, if not insurance, for still-developing arms like Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease and Reynaldo Lopez as the White Sox hope they can blossom into the homegrown bulk of a championship rotation.
Most importantly, perhaps, Keuchel’s signing — along with that of Yasmani Grandal last month — further goes to prove the White Sox serious in their quest to bolster the roster in anticipation of a transition from rebuilding mode to contending mode. Interestingly enough, if Heyman's reported contract figures are accurate, Keuchel's deal has the potential to end up $1 million richer than the franchise-record contract Grandal got last month.
The White Sox have made the two additions to their rotation, but they are still on the hunt for an everyday right fielder, making their offseason work not yet finished. But Keuchel and Grandal go down as two pretty big splashes in what was anticipated to be an important offseason.
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