Should I Stay or Should I Go: Kyle Crick

fWAR: 0.1
bWAR: 0.2
WARP: 0.2

He should stay A veteran arm is always nice to have stashed away. Crick has demonstrated a floor of being at least a serviceable arm, if not necessarily a high-leverage one, and at one time was considered to have a high ceiling. He still generates a fair amount of strikeouts despite declining stuff. Crick is entering his final year of arbitration, and has additional motivation to perform heading into free agency.

He should go Crick is basically Jose Ruiz without good fastball velocity. Though he is able to strike batters out despite a fastball now sitting in the low-90s, he also has control problems that lead to an excessive number of walks. Due to elbow inflammation, Crick didn’t pitch after June, and continues to struggle with injuries.

The verdict Crick is a prime example of the sort of pitcher the White Sox should be signing to minor league deals. His ongoing struggles with injuries and general lack of results for the last several years will keep him from being an in-demand commodity on the open market, but if the White Sox can convince him to sign a minor league contract with a decent downside guarantee and a good payoff if he can stick on the major league roster, Crick is the sort of guy they need to acquire more of, as they struggle with their own injury problems across their roster. Crick is nobody’s idea of an ace reliever, but if they can keep him around as a low-risk, low-reward hedge, that’s not nothing.