After dominating the KBO league with the NC Dinos in 2023, Erik Peddy (31, Chicago White Sox) returned to the U.S. as a bigger player a year after leaving for the East. As soon as the 2023-2024 Major League offseason took place, Peddy completed a relatively successful two-year, $15 million contract with the Chicago White Sox.
In 2022, right before his move to Korea, Feddy’s annual salary was 2.15 million U.S. dollars. His stellar performance in Korea reopened the eyes of Major League scouts, and he returned to the Major League after being paid at least twice the amount. In the Major League, annual salary means opportunity and power within the team. The White Sox, who signed a two-year guarantee, are also expected to give Feddy a chance unless the team shows a serious slump. 에볼루션 바카라사이트
As is well known, Peddy was one of the promising players representing the Washington Nationals. In 2014, he was drafted in the first round (18th overall) by Washington in the rookie draft and joined the team splendidly. Since then, he has steadily taken minor league steps, meeting expectations of his team, and has been in the rotation of starting full-time starting in 2021. However, Washington has not grown as much as expected, and has chosen to release him after 2022. With salary adjustment in place, the team decided that it was not worth paying him more than $2.15 million in annual salary.
Struggling to stay in Arizona, the U.S., he focused on systematic training. He not only trained to strengthen his physical strength but also tried to improve his physical strength. Despite signing a contract with NC, he was not satisfied with his performance in the Korean league and made a strong commitment to return to the Major League. As a result, he became the first foreign pitcher to win the Triple Crown in the KBO League history with 20 wins and six losses with a 2.00 ERA in 30 games in the 2023 season, before becoming the MVP of the league.
His contract is drawing keen attention in the Major League as well. It is not easy to find such a case. Of course, there were players who made a comeback in Asian leagues such as Korea and Japan after failing to play in Major League Baseball. However, as for Peddy, his contract lasted only one year, which is relatively short, attention is focusing on his success. It is a question mark that a new evaluation that has been made in just one year will be realized in real life.
ESPN columnist Bradford Doolittle also picked Peddy as the most complicated offseason contract so far. Doolittle said, “I don’t blame the White Sox. It was because they were far from the only team that showed interest in Peddy,” suggesting that he also received a lot of attention from other teams. He also asserted that even if Peddy plays well in the innings behind the starting rotation, “two years and $15 million is cheap.”
As expectations are not set for ace pitchers anyway, a healthy rotation is sufficient for them to succeed. However, Doolittle said, “It would be a bad contract if he pitches in line with the ERA (5.41) he recorded in his Major League career and the WAR (contribution to victory over replacement players), which is almost exactly what he pitched.” Doolittle also said that there are risks.
“What confuses me is how this guy, who has had an overwhelming season in the Korean KBO League, can remake himself,” Doolittle said. “I’m rooting for him because it’s a great story. If Peddy succeeds, it will be a lesson (of the Major League) in some ways.”
In fact, if Pedi succeeds, he can leave a message that he should not give up too soon on pitchers in his team. This is because Pedi showed that he can improve his skills even at the age of 30. The value of many foreign pitchers currently playing in the Asian leagues may be reevaluated depending on Pedi’s 2024 Major League performance, who fully experimented and studied his weapons in the KBO league.
