Though Alex Colomé might have made watching him difficult at times, he left big shoes to fill. He converted 42 of 46 saves over his two seasons in Chicago, and more importantly, the White Sox went 92-1 when they entered the ninth inning with a lead for the best such winning percentage in baseball.
The White Sox are signing the pitcher best equipped to maintain those standards. Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reported that the White Sox are in agreement on a multiyear deal with All-Star closer Liam Hendriks.
The deal is an unusual one, according to Jeff Passan. Hendriks is guaranteed $54 million for three or four years. The White Sox will pay him $13 million over each of the first three seasons. If the White Sox want to pick up his option for 2024, it's $15 million. If they won't, they'll pay a $15 million buyout over the course of multiple years.
Hendriks, who was conveniently labeled by MLB Network tonight as baseball's top reliever "Right Now," posted a 1.79 ERA over the last two seasons in Oakland. He gained control of the closer role during the 2019 season and racked up an incredible 161 strikeouts against 24 walks over 110⅓ innings. He transformed himself by gaining two ticks on his fastball, which sits 96 mph. He throws it 70 percent of the time thanks to a spin rate that allows him to throw it early or late. He pairs it with a slider that's nearly as effective for most of his remaining pitches.
The combination resulted in a strikeout rate that crested over 40 percent last year, with a swinging-strike rate of 19 percent. The White Sox bullpen lacked a whiffmonster of that caliber in 2020. Evan Marshall topped all full-season relievers with a 32.3 percent strikeout rate and 15.4 percent whiff rate last year, and no White Sox reliever matched either stat during the 162-game 2019 season.
(Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire)
