The White Sox have added another arm to the starting rotation. According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, the White Sox are signing left-hander Anthony Kay to a two-year, $12 million deal that includes a mutual option for a third season.
Kay comes to the White Sox from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball Organization after posting a 1.74 ERA in 155 innings with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. MLB insider Jon Heyman also reports that Kay had larger offers in Japan, but opted to take a pay cut to return to the MLB.
Kay’s MLB résumé doesn’t jump off the page. Over 85 1/3 innings across five seasons, he owns a 5.59 ERA with a 22.4% strikeout rate and a 12% walk rate. He didn’t fare much better in the minor leagues, posting a 5.40 ERA over 148 1/3 innings in four seasons in Triple-A.
His path back to the majors has been anything but straightforward. The Mets first drafted him out of high school in the 29th round in 2013, but he chose to attend the University of Connecticut instead. After going 22-12 with a 3.37 ERA over 286 innings in three college seasons, New York selected him again, this time in the first round of the 2016 draft.
Kay didn’t get a chance to suit up for the team that drafted him until 2023. He was traded to Toronto for Marcus Stroman in 2019 and made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays later that season. He spent parts of four seasons with Toronto before being claimed off waivers by the Cubs in December 2022. After 13 appearances with Chicago, he was placed on waivers again and returned to the Mets, where he threw just 3 1/3 innings in what remains his most recent MLB action.
Oakland claimed him in October 2022 but released him weeks later, prompting Kay to take his career overseas.
In Japan, Kay revitalized his career by altering his pitch arsenal. He added three miles an hour to his cutter, added a sinker to his arsenal, and has experimented with a new curveball. He has been able to draw softer contact as a result. In two seasons in Japan’s top baseball league, the 30-year-old produced a 2.53 ERA, lowered his walk rate to 7.9% and generated an impressive 54.5% ground ball rate across 291.2 innings.
The signing carries risk for the White Sox but mirrors the same strategy they used with former KBO MVP Erick Fedde. Chicago signed Fedde to a two-year, $15 million deal ahead of the 2024 season after he reinvented himself overseas, posting a 2.00 ERA and recording 209 strikeouts in the KBO. Like Kay, Fedde overhauled parts of his arsenal abroad—changes that ultimately paid off for the White Sox.
Fedde delivered a 3.12 ERA in 12 starts for Chicago before the front office flipped him at the 2024 trade deadline in a three-team deal that netted the White Sox Miguel Vargas and infield prospects Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez.
Kay’s two-year, $12 million contract reflects similar optimism. His MLB track record wouldn’t typically command that kind of payday, signaling the organization believes the improvements he showed in Japan can carry over. Kay figures to replace veteran southpaw Martin Perez in the White Sox rotation.
With Hagen Smith and Noah Shultz waiting in the wings, Kay could serve as a perfect stopgap to help eat innings before one of the White Sox top pitching prospects is ready to be called up. He will join a rotation anchored by Shane Smith, Sean Burke, and Davis Martin, making the battle for the fifth spot in the rotation intriguing.
Drew Thrope, who was added in the Dylan Cease trade, is set to return after missing the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. Left-handed prospect Ky Bush also missed the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, will also be looking to carve out a role. Jonathan Connon, who made 17 starts for the White Sox last season, could also be in the mix.
Given Kay’s uneven MLB track record, Chris Getz could still look to add another veteran arm as insurance. With the White Sox farm system sitting in the middle of the pack, stocking the rotation with movable pieces could give the front office more flexibility and potentially more assets at the trade deadline to help accelerate the rebuild.
