Mike Clevinger is back in the AL Central and that’s bad news for him
By Chad Porto
The Cleveland Guardians will Mike Clevinger far more often in 2023.
The Cleveland Guardians will be seeing an old friend quite often in 2023, as Mike Clevinger has signed with the Chicago White Sox. Clevinger, who spent the first four and half years of his major league career in Cleveland, was dealt in 2020 after he ran afoul with his teammate and management for unprofessional conduct.
The trade ended up being a huge get for the Guards, who saw Josh Naylor, Cal Quantrill, Owen Miller, and others land in Cleveland, and help re-start the team’s World Series aspirations. The move wasn’t the most popular at the time, as many thought Clevinger would be a necessary part of the team’s future success.
Clevinger would end up needing Tommy John surgery shortly after the trade and he’d go on to miss all of 2021 in the process. All the while, the pieces he was traded for blossomed in Cleveland. He’d eventually return to the Pardes in 2022 but he was noticeably not the same pitcher, posting a career-worst ERA in a season where he threw a minimum of 100 innings.
Mike Clevinger isn’t putting any fear into the Cleveland Guardians
Clevinger had three very good years in Cleveland when he was younger, but it should be noted that he isn’t and has never been a big durable guy. He’s only pitched 200 innings once in his entire career. While 200 innings is a lot, he’s also only hit 130 innings once in his career as well. For context, four of the Cleveland Guardians starters hit 130+ innings this year, and most of them missed time.
Clevinger isn’t a terrible player and he’d make for a good fourth or fifth starter for a team, but if the White Sox faithful thought they were getting a future Cy Young winner, then we hate to be the bearers of bad news. He’s, at best, a mid-tier pitcher when he’s healthy.