Logan Webb wasn’t an instant success as a member of the San Francisco Giants rotation. He compiled a 5.46 earned run average and 1.521 WHIP his first two seasons.
But then the work he did with his pitching coaches, including Brian Bannister and Ethan Katz, paid off. Webb has won 37 games and compiled a 3.07 ERA over the last three seasons, with a second-place finish in the 2023 Cy Young race.
No one was watching more closely than Erick Fedde, who trains with Webb regularly. He took the plan that paid off for Webb to Korea a year ago, and used it to dominate the KBO.
The reward for the 30-year-old Fedde is a two-year, $15-million contract with the White Sox. If his work with the NC Dinos is an indication, he could be one of the best values on this year’s free agent market.
The White Sox had the inside track to sign Fedde, as Katz has been their big-league pitching coach since 2021 and Bannister was hired as their senior pitching advisor in September.
They believe he can immediately slot into a role as a No. 2 starter behind Dylan Cease. That’s saying a lot considering Fedde left Washington as a flop after five seasons, compiling a 5.41 ERA over 102 games, including 88 starts.
Using new command of a Webb-like sweeper and a split-change, Fedde went 20-6 record with a 2.00 ERA in Korea. He had 209 strikeouts and only 35 walks in 180 1/3 innings for the Dinos.
“There’s some real material differences with his stuff,” White Sox General Manager Chris Getz told Chicago reporters. “He added the sweeper, got a better feel for his sinker, changed his attack plan. … We talked to hitters over there, we talked to people that are around that league, and we felt he was the most feared pitcher in that league.’’
The rebuilding White Sox can provide Fedde time to get reacclimatized to the major leagues. They had a major need for pitching after trading Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn while along Mike Clevinger to hit free agency.
Before signing Fedde they had partially restocked the rotation by adding Mike Soroka and Jared Shuster from Atlanta in a trade for left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer. They are looking beyond 2024 and may be tempted to flip Fedde for prospects if he pitches as well as they hope. He could build a lot of value as he’s under control through ’25.
Fedde’s next deal could be a lot bigger than this one. Webb can tell him all about that. He enters 2024 in the first year of a five-year, $90-million extension he signed with the Giants last April.