Chris Getz's first multi-year contract went to a pitcher who rejuvenated his career overseas, so why not go back to the well?
Perhaps that's the thinking before the White Sox's first free agent signing of the winter, as a source confirmed to Sox Machine that Anthony Kay is under contract for two years and a guaranteed $12 million, with additional performance incentives and a mutual option for a third year.
Kay made James' list of potential innings-eating targets under the category "The next Erick Fedde," and while Kay is a lefty, the comparison is otherwise uncanny. Both pitchers were first-round picks for NL East teams who couldn't find their professional footing stateside; Fedde the Nationals, Kay the Mets. Both pitchers plied their trade in Asia, as Fedde won the KBO MVP while Kay went to Japan for two years and set the Yokohama DeNA BayStars' single-season ERA record at 1.74 this past season.
Fedde ended up signing a two-year, $15 million contract with the White Sox at the 2023 winter meetings, and now Kay has seen the comparison all the way through, although at a slightly lower guarantee. The Athletic's Will Sammon reports Kay will make $5 million per season in 2026 and 2027, with a $2 million buyout on a $10 million option for 2028. While the Sox are not new to the practice of deferring costs, the specter of a 2027 lockout provides some incentive for Kay to relocate some of his guaranteed money to seasons more likely to be played.
Kay's arsenal evolved during his time in NPB. He was last seen stateside throwing 60 percent fastballs with a slider eventually emerging as his leading secondary pitch. He comes back with a five-pitch attack, including a vastly different arsenal against righties, who see a high-80s cutter a plurality of the time, and a changeup--Kay's signature offering in his college days--thrown as often as the four-seamer, which still sits at 94 mph.
Kay, who will turn 31 just before Opening Day, was selected by the Mets 31st overall out of UConn back in 2016, one pick behind Cole Ragans, and one pick ahead of the catching Will Smith. He surfaced in the majors with Toronto after the Mets sent him to the Blue Jays with Simeon Woods Richardson in a trade for Marcus Stroman at the 2019 deadline, but success eluded him over the course of several cups of coffee. He made cameos in four different seasons for Toronto, and then split time with the Cubs and Mets organizations in 2023. All in all, it resulted in a career 5.59 ERA with peripherals to match.
Two seasons in Yokohama served Kay well. He held down a rotation spot with the BayStars in 2024, although the durability (148⅓ innings over 26 starts) stood out more than the 3.42 ERA, which was a little worse than average in the Central League. He leveled up in 2025, going 9-6 with a 1.74 ERA and averaging nearly 6½ innings over his 24 starts.
A source told James that Kay had better offers to stay in Japan, but that he will return to Major League Baseball with a chance to stake a claim in the White Sox rotation, which needed a left-hander to replace Martín Pérez. Kay has allowed just one stolen base in three opportunities over his 44 games and 85⅓ innings in the majors, so his presence already seems guaranteed to help the White Sox in their quest to suppress the running game.
Whether Kay will yield too many baserunners for it to matter remains to be seen, as he is a groundball artist (55.8 percent rate last season) who will test a White Sox infield defense that struggled in 2025, especially at the corners. But he's now the third-highest paid player on the White Sox payroll, which reflects some belief that Kay's transformation will translate to major league adequacy.
