A fifth starter is much needed for the Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have a lot of needs following their incredibly disappointing 2022 season. One of the biggest needs that they have is another starting pitcher. This is a spot that can help them win a lot more games in 2023 and maybe even make the playoffs.

Reynaldo Lopez and Garrett Crochet are trending toward becoming full-time bullpen guys so that leaves Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Michael Kopech as the four starters that they have ready for the 2023 campaign.

Dallas Keuchel was DFA’d in the middle of the 2022 season and Johnny Cueto was his replacement. They also got some starts from David Martin who was decent for a good amount of the season.

Cueto might be on his way out the door which means that someone new is going to have to come in. We know it won’t be Jacob deGrom or Justin Verlander so they are going to have to think smart. Even Carlos Rodon might be out of their price range.

The Chicago White Sox need someone that can help them with their rotation.

They are rumored to be in on Mike Clevinger which wouldn’t be a terrible upgrade at all. No matter who it is, they need to decide on someone. If it is Davis Martin, there are certainly worse options but also there are plenty of upgrades out there.

Having a guy that you can rely on as the number five guy is very important because that will help you win as many games as possible. Lots of teams don’t really have that luxury.

If they signed a good pitcher, Lucas Giolito would probably end up being the fifth guy in the rotation until he proves that he is fully back. That is very possible but nobody can be sure just yet. He got better down the stretch in 2022 but not enough to make you confident in him long-term.

Carlos Rodon is probably the best realistic option. The only reason it is a realistic possibility is because of the fact that he was once a Chicago White Sox pitcher and could want to return. He was amazing for the San Francisco Giants in 2022 and should be good for a while. The White Sox desperately need someone like this but any good starter will do at this point.