ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Kay wanted to return to the major leagues after pitching in Japan for two years.
He thinks he landed in a good situation with the Chicago White Sox.
Kay is expected to compete for a spot in Chicago’s rotation after finalizing a $12 million, two-year contract with the White Sox on Tuesday. The left-hander last appeared in the majors on Oct. 1, 2023, with the New York Mets.
“Getting to start again and you know, finally get to be consistent in the big leagues I think was very attractive for me to come back and be a key fit for the White Sox,” Kay said.
Kay will get salaries of $5 million each in 2026 and 2027, and the deal includes a $10 million mutual option for 2028 with a $2 million buyout. He can earn $750,000 in performance bonuses for innings: $125,000 each for 100, 120, 140 and 160, and $250,000 for 180.
The 30-year-old Kay played for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars for the past two years. He went 9-6 with a 1.74 ERA in 24 starts last season, leading the Central League with a 67.8 ground-ball percentage and 7.55 strikeouts per nine innings.
“I think going over to Japan and being consistently a starter for a couple years kind of helped me regain that confidence as a pitcher,” Kay said, “and kind of helped me develop and be consistent and kind of find myself.”
Chicago finished last in the AL Central this year with a 60-102 record, a 19-game improvement from the previous season. The White Sox are hoping to take another step forward in 2026 behind a promising group of young players that includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth.
Kay liked what he heard from the White Sox during a video conference call with manager Will Venable and some of the team’s pitching coaches and coordinators. He also pointed to the success of Erick Fedde and Garrett Crochet as another reason why he liked the opportunity with the team.
Fedde signed with Chicago in December 2023 after spending one year in South Korea. Crochet worked out of the bullpen at the beginning of his career with the White Sox before becoming a dominant starter.
“It was a pretty similar situation to be able to come back over and kind of thrive in the role of being back in the big leagues,” Kay said. “I think another thing is the success that they had with Garrett Crochet and having him go from a reliever back to a starter I think kind of showed that they have a plan for guys like me.”
Kay was selected by the Mets in the first round of the 2016 amateur draft out of the University of Connecticut. He is 4-2 with a 5.59 ERA in 37 relief appearances and seven starts in the majors, also playing for Toronto and the Chicago Cubs.
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