Former Chicago White Sox pitchers find new homes in free agency

Monday saw some movement on the pitching market for Major League Baseball free agency and that led to a pair of former Chicago White Sox pitchers finding new homes.

The first deal of the day was the Atlanta Braves announcing that they signed former White Sox swing pitcher Reynaldo Lopez to a three-year deal worth $30MM.

After years of rotating between the starting rotation and bullpen, Lopez came into his own at the start of the 2023 season for the White Sox while pitching exclusively out of the bullpen as a multi-inning relief pitcher.

With a fastball that can reach the upper 90s, Lopez was a valuable trade chip at the trade deadline this past season for the White Sox. The White Sox traded Lopez along with starting pitcher Lucas Giolito to the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline.

Lopez posted a 2.77 ERA with the Angels during August before being claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Guardians at the end of the month. In 12 appearances with the Guardians during September, Lopez did not give up a single run.

It would seem that the Braves envision Lopez being a part of their starting rotation as he will prepare as a starting pitcher this off-season. Assuming the Braves do not sign Giolito this off-season, 2024 will mark the first time in Lopez’s career that he is not teammates with the former White Sox starting pitcher.

Another former White Sox pitcher that found a new home on Monday was Lance Lynn. Lynn is returning to the team that he made his Major League debut with in the St. Louis Cardinals. Lynn inked a one-year deal with the Cardinals at $10MM and it will be curious to see if the veteran can continue from the success he had with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second half of the regular season. Though, the last time Lynn was on a mound in a game, he was on the wrong end of history.