Report: White Sox targeting Clevinger

The Chicago White Sox are showing strong interest in signing right-hander Mike Clevinger, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Chicago is looking to round out a strong rotation that features AL Cy Young runner-up Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, and Michael Kopech. The club needs to replace veteran hurler Johnny Cueto, who accrued the second-best fWAR (2.4) among the team's starters last season.

Clevinger is coming off an underwhelming 2022 campaign after returning from Tommy John surgery. He posted a 4.33 ERA with 1.19 WHIP and a career-low 7.2 K/9 over 114 1/3 innings (22 starts) for the San Diego Padres. Clevinger accrued a 3.20 ERA with 10 K/9 during a five-year run with the Cleveland Guardians from 2016-2020.

The 31-year-old free agent was traded to the Padres in August 2020 in a nine-player deal that saw Josh Naylor and Cal Quantrill head to Cleveland.