Dallas Keuchel winds up in Chicago, but with the team that makes a lot more sense.
There were a lot of suitors for Keuchel, and it’s the White Sox who get the bearded lefty:
BREAKING: Left-hander Dallas Keuchel and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a deal, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 22, 2019
After waiting to sign until midseason last year because of a qualifying offer, Keuchel gets a healthy, multi-year deal:
Keuchel White Sox deal: 3/$55.5M with a vesting 4th year that could take to 4/$74M
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 22, 2019
Good on the White Sox for landing a necessary arm to supplement a young, should-be-competitive team, especially after the addition of Yasmani Grandal.
Even if the Cubs were able to spend on a starting pitcher right now, I had trouble wrapping my head around the rumors that connected them to Keuchel – a solid, steady, limited-upside, innings-eating, middle-of-the-rotation arm, heavily reliant on soft contact for success, and likely to cost a lot. That’s just not where I see the Cubs shopping for starting pitching this offseason, and I haven’t long before we realized just how tight the dollars were.
Instead, I think the Cubs are going to target young starters/prospects in trade – hard-throwing guys with the potential to be real impact types – and otherwise might sign a cheap, high-risk, high-upside type late in the offseason.