Looking to resuscitate his career after a disastrous 2015 season, right-handed pitcher Mat Latos signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Chicago White Sox, the team announced.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com first reported the agreement.
Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times provided a statement from GM Rick Hahn:
After waiting for the top-tier free agents to sign this winter, Latos’ market slowly picked up steam. Crasnick reported Dec. 22 that five teams had checked in on the veteran pitcher, who was “probably” seeking a short deal to rebuild his value.
It’s certainly not a bad plan for Latos, who had the worst season of his seven-year MLB career in 2015. He posted a 4.95 ERA with 120 hits and 13 home runs allowed in 116.1 innings with the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels, though there are some reasons for optimism.
For instance, Latos did strike out 100 with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.13. His ability to stay healthy is one of the big question marks, as he’s only tallied 218.2 innings the past two years after throwing at least 184.2 innings each season from 2010-13.
Health might also help Latos rediscover some of the velocity he has lost, with FanGraphs showing his fastball has dipped from an average of 92.6 mph in 2013 to 90.7 mph and 91.5 mph the past two years.
ESPN.com’s Keith Law did give Latos a moderately optimistic outlook when ranking the 28-year-old No. 25 on his list of top 50 free agents:
Latos pitches like a No. 2 starter when healthy, with four straight years of that kind of performance until injuries to his knee and throwing elbow cut both his 2014 and 2015 seasons in half. He was still effective when on the mound, at least until the Dodgers acquired him in July, working with a mostly-average fastball that would touch 95 mph, a plus splitter and an above-average or better slider.
Law did note that Latos has a tendency to burn bridges when he leaves a team. He memorably called out some of the younger players during his time with the Cincinnati Reds in an interview with Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports last February, saying the “dugout looked like a ghost town.”
If Latos brings his best attitude and remains healthy this season for the White Sox, he will be one of the biggest offseason bargains. He hit free agency very young, and there are enough reasons to be optimistic about what will happen in 2016.
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