Zach Duke by Jon Dawson is licensed under CC by 2.0
Left handed reliever Zach Duke has signed a three-year $15 million deal with the Chicago White Sox. Chicago had the third worse bullpen in the majors last season, posting a team ERA of 4.38. Duke is coming off one of his best seasons of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers. Duke will be 32 in April.
Zach Duke pitched 58 2/3 innings, going 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA. He allowed only three home runs the whole season and struck out 74 batters.
Duke was moved to the bullpen in 2011, while playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Duke has moved around a lot and has pitched for Pittsburgh, Arizona, Washington, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee. The White Sox will be the sixth team he has pitched for, going into his 11th career season.
I think this is a good move for the White Sox, they need pitching and their addressing it. But I still think the price they paid is a bit steep, considering that Duke has not been great outside of last season.
