The Chicago White Sox were one of the teams that placed players on waivers this week as a means to shed some salary.
They aren’t going anywhere, with a 53-81 record this year, and they wanted to take advantage of a unique opportunity.
Lots of contenders put claims on players such as Harrison Bader, Reynaldo Lopez, Matt Moore, Lucas Giolito, and others.
The White Sox waived pitcher Mike Clevinger, but there were no bites.
As a result, he is staying in Chicago.
“Mike Clevinger cleared waivers. He’s staying with the White Sox. Cost $$$ was pretty high to have him for a month,” MLB insider Jesse Rogers tweeted.
Mike Clevinger cleared waivers. He's staying with the White Sox. Cost $$$ was pretty high to have him for a month.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 31, 2023
Clevinger’s 2023 salary is $8 million, and a potential claiming team would have been responsible for the prorated amount of that number.
Apparently, no one wanted to pay that much for Clevinger.
He has been known for a few controversies off the field, and his recent numbers prior to 2023 aren’t actually that good.
He also had major surgery not too long ago.
However, in 2023, he has been at least serviceable as a pitcher.
In 97.2 innings, he has a 3.32 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.
He has 38 walks and 85 strikeouts, so while control has been a bit of an issue at times, he has been able to return some decent value and could have helped a contender under different circumstances.
He also has a $12 million mutual option for 2024, with a $4 million buyout.
It’s possible that Clevinger still has a couple of years of good performance.
His future with the White Sox is cloudy at best, though.
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