One of the most sought-after free agents this winter has already made a decision. Jake Peavy and the Chicago White Sox agreed to a two-year extension that keeps him in the starting rotation for $29 million.
If the White Sox didn’t resign Peavy, it would have been interesting to see which team would go after him aware of his history of arm problems. There are promising signs, however, in Peavy’s road to recovery from shoulder surgery in 2010. Peavy threw 219.0 innings this season, and accompanied those innings with 194 strikeouts, averaging an impressive number of eight strikeouts per nine innings. His 3.37 ERA was the lowest since 2008 with the San Diego Padres. His WHIP dropped to 1.096 by the end of the season, the lowest it’s been since 2007 when he won the Cy Young Award.
At times this season, Peavy looked like a potential Cy Young winner, and other times he seemed like a triple-A player. It makes you wonder if this deal is a good move for the White Sox. After all, Peavy only posted an 11-12 record.
You never know what will happen next year for the White Sox. That’s what makes the game of baseball so interesting. A deal like this could potentially make them World Series champs, or it could create a disaster if Peavy hits the disabled list at any point next year. Although there’s risk involved in this decision, it could be a big win for the White Sox. If Peavy performs, he and Chris Sale are a formidable one-two punch at the top of the rotation.
The men in black were on the pace to the postseason, but that dream was cut short thanks to a late run by the Detroit Tigers. The White Sox began to fall apart after the Tigers regained control of the AL Central. If Peavy has a stellar season in 2013, maybe, just maybe, the White Sox will earn a trip to the postseason next year.