After walking more hitters than he struck out in Cactus League, Chris Flexen didn't have much to turn to in his second trip through the Braves batting order on Monday afternoon, and took the loss as the White Sox sunk to 0-4.
"Not very good today," Flexen said. "I put our bullpen in a bad spot as well."
Eventually expected to slot behind Flexen in the rotation is rookie right-hander Nick Nastrini, who has just shy of 20 career innings pitched in Triple-A, and a professional walk rate north of 11 percent.
That would be the starting premise to any team explanation for why there was a need to bring back free-agent starter Mike Clevinger on a one-year deal, as FanSided's Robert Murray first reported toward the end of the White Sox' rain-soaked blowout 9-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The Sox have not confirmed the signing and manager Pedro Grifol declined to comment on reports of Clevinger's signing postgame.
Toward the end of last season, Grifol and other White Sox personnel touted that Clevinger was a positive presence in the team's clubhouse amid a trying year. He was also their most consistent on-field performer in the rotation, posting a 3.77 ERA in 131⅓ innings despite losing six weeks to a bicep injury. But team officials usually recognize the need to make the points about clubhouse presence for the 33-year-old right-hander first, even in this performance-obsessed world, because he spent much of last spring under investigation for alleged violations of the MLB Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.
Ultimately, MLB's lengthy investigation ended with no disciplinary action against Clevinger, who maintained his innocence throughout the process and was not charged with a crime.
For many, and clearly a quorum of the White Sox brain trust, that is satisfactory enough reason to move forward with Clevinger as contributor again this season, with Bob Nightengale reporting their interest dating back to the Dylan Cease trade in late spring.
Somewhere between the Tony La Russa tenure and last year's disastrous 101-loss season, a sizable portion of the White Sox fan base stopped affording the White Sox the benefit of the doubt on decisions that seemed dubious on their face. Whether you have a complex understanding of the difficulty of substantiating abuse allegations in this country, exhaustion with the public discourse around how these cases are weighed against on-field production, or simply distrust this team's vetting process after they were surprised by the Clevinger's allegations last year, this move can read as a puzzlingly willful test of the team's all-but-evaporated goodwill. Clevinger's disciplinary record with the White Sox is clean despite acknowledging him as a calculated risk upon entry, yet his public reputation remains weathered.
With Brad Keller being ramped up for a trip to an affiliate before he can be a rotation depth option himself, and Garrett Crochet still owning the only White Sox quality start of the season so far, it's not hard to argue -- and it certainly will be argued -- that a proven supply of innings will be of use whenever Clevinger is ready. Yet for a move that will take center stage for the reasons outlined in the previous paragraph, his services seem rather ancillary to the most pressing needs of the franchise.
The White Sox offense has been shut out in half of their games so far, and their farm system is bereft enough of impact bats that there are no compelling 1B/DH types being held down in Triple-A while Eloy Jiménez's recovery from an adductor strain is put on day-to-day status. Their season is about assessing their organization, establishing new standards, and finding long-term solutions. The innings Clevinger provides can help stave off logistical headaches in their bullpen, but he is no long-term solution, and last year did not provide clarity on whether he can be groomed into a trade asset.
Clevinger's bicep injury was not well-timed for deadline interest, and the structure of his mutual option/buyout made him strangely pricey both as a rental trade or a potential waiver claim. But for now the second season in a row, it's the White Sox who have been the winning bidder for his services. So it lies upon them to properly explain why Clevinger, and all his association with the franchise entails, remains essential.
