The Chicago White Sox have made it their modus operandi to go out and find under-the-radar talent in the hopes they hit on a few and either build around them or be valuable trade pieces to help further the rebuild.
The White Sox have signed reclamation projects like Bryse Wilson and veteran outfielders Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman to one-year deals to get a ton of at-bats to try and boost their trade value to at least get a decent prospect back when they eventually trade all of them at next season’s trade deadline.
There is one pitcher on the free agent market that is under 25 and appears to have no market that the White Sox should look to pounce on as another opportunity to better their roster and add to their pitching depth.
The former St. Louis Cardinals prospect Adam Kloffenstein
The 24-year-old Kloffenstein was non-tendered by the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this offseason after having a decent showing for them in the minor leagues last season. The Cardinals decided to non-tender the former prospect earlier this offseason. Kloffenstein was acquired by the Cardinals in the deal that sent right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023.
The third-round pick out of Magnolia High School in Magnolia, Texas as I said had a respectable 2024 season down on the far making 17 starts with a 4-5 record and a 4.75 ERA in 89.1 innings. Sadly, Kloffenstein’s season was derailed when he started feeling shoulder discomfort which sidelined him for the rest of the season. Still just 24 I think Kloffenstein still has a lot of potential to be unlocked, and the White Sox should look to jump on that opportunity.
Why the Chicago White Sox should add Kloffenstein?
Looking at the 6’5″ right-handers Baseball Savant page he has a three-pitch arsenal that consists of a sinker, a curveball, and a cutter. This in my opinion is a terrible arsenal to have if Kloffenstein wants to have success as a starting pitcher. First off Kloffenstein needs to add some sort of changeup whether it be a straight change, circle change, splitter, or seam-shifted changeup, he has to add some sort of offspeed pitch to be effective. Another pitch Kloffenstein could look to add is a four-seam fastball to pair with his sinker and cutter to give hitters another look up in the zone.
The White Sox have shown to be one of the better organizations at finding and developing pitching talent with success such as the possible Hall of Famer Mark Buehrle, Cy Young winner Chris Sale, and Garrett Crochet to name a few. Adding Kloffenstein to the organization could not only benefit him but also the White Sox. Even if Kloffenstein couldn’t figure out a changeup or add in a four-seam fastball, his arsenal could be suited for the bullpen.
Looking at his splits Kloffenstein in a short span of work showed he was capable of handling the sixth, seventh, and possibly the eighth innings. Kloffenstein in seven games 7.0 innings pitched had a 3.86 ERA in the sixth and six games 5.0 innings pitched combined between the seventh and eighth Kloffenstein allowed zero earned runs.
Will the White Sox sign Kloffenstein?
There has been no reporting and zero interest shown so far that the White Sox will look to bring in Adam Kloffenstein, but they should consider it. A player who at the very least will cost almost the league minimum that the White Sox could sign to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training would get him into the organization. Kloffenstein still has two minor league options available according to FanGraphs, so he does have roster flexibility if needed. With the White Sox reported to sign former Houston Astros hitting prospect Joe Perez and bring him in as a pitcher, the White Sox should certainly look to bring in Kloffenstein to compete and add more depth.
Chicago White Sox to sign former top prospect of the Houston Astros
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