Temporary 2025 Brewers fill-in returns to White Sox on one-year deal

Not only did José Quintana ink a one-year deal with the Colorado Rockies for the 2026 campaign last night, but another departing Milwaukee Brewers free agent starting pitcher also recently signed a major league contract for the upcoming season. Erick Fedde, who spent time with three MLB teams last year, is heading back to the Chicago White Sox on a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.

Fedde's addition is a curious one for a rebuilding club like the White Sox, but it has no real effect on the Brewers. He was never returning to Milwaukee this offseason, as the team has too many young starters to give playing time to in what figures to be yet another highly competitive season in 2026.

Still, the veteran right-hander's short tenure with the Crew was impactful, if for no other reason than he made a lot of St. Louis Cardinals fans really angry.

Erick Fedde no longer available as Brewers' "break-glass-in-case-of-emergency" rotation option

Fedde was truly disastrous in St. Louis last year, getting hammered to the tune of a 5.22 ERA and 5.13 FIP over the course of 101 2/3 innings. He barely struck out more guys than he walked, surrendered 14 home runs in 20 starts, and became impossible to trust on the mound.

He was traded to the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline and somehow got worse, surrendering an 8.10 ERA across five appearances (four starts). Naturally, he was released, and it looked like his MLB career was on its last legs.

Then, the Brewers came calling, and he began to thrive in a relief role. Though his actual results (3.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) were far better than his underlying metrics (5.20 FIP, matching 10.6% strikeout and walk rates), there's no denying that Fedde stepped up and delivered when the Brewers needed him most down the stretch. Outside of one poor outing, ironically against the Cardinals, on September 21, Fedde allowed just three earned runs in 12 innings with the Crew.

Of course, he didn't make the team's postseason rosters, as the shortened rotation (and unceasing presence of Aaron Ashby) rendered his long-relief role mostly superfluous. Still, it was an admirable tenure after such a calamitous start to the season.

Alas, those metrics were ugly, and there was never any real chance of him returning to Milwaukee. The White Sox — with whom he had major success in the first half of the 2024 season — will now be the latest team to try and salvage his starting pitching hopes.