Mike Clevinger Is Back With A Guardians Rival

Mike Clevinger is back in the American League Central, though not with his old club, the Cleveland Guardians.

Clevinger pitched the first five seasons of his career in a Guardians uniform before being traded to the San Diego Padres.

On Sunday, the free agent right-hander signed a deal with the Guardians’ AL Central rivals, the Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox have not confirmed the signing.

The 31-year-old made his return from Tommy John surgery this year and posted a 7-7 record with a 4.33 ERA in 23 appearances and 22 starts

With the recent signing, Chicago’s rotation now features Clevinger, Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, and Lucas Giolito.

The deal is pending a physical.

The Chicago White Sox are in agreement with RHP Mike Clevinger, pending a physical.

per @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/jSrhuSOLr1

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 27, 2022

Clevinger Returns To AL Central

While Clevinger is not returning to the Guardians, he will at least be pitching in a division that he is quite familiar with from his days in Cleveland.

The righty made his debut with the Guardians in 2016.

Within a year, Clevinger became a fixture in the Guardians rotation.

At the 2020 trade deadline, Clevinger was shipped off to San Diego in the deal that brought Cal Quantrill and Josh Naylor back to Cleveland.

For his career, the veteran right-hander owns a 51-30 record and a lifetime ERA of 3.39.

With Quantrill, Triston McKenzie, and Shane Bieber in their rotation, there likely was not a fit for Clevinger in Cleveland, but the White Sox, who finished 11 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central in 2022, had a need for starting pitching, and will thus add the right-hander to an already talented group of starters.