White Sox add LHP Anthony Kay with $12 million, 2-year contract, AP source says

CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Kay is returning to the major leagues, agreeing to a $12 million, two-year contract with the Chicago White Sox.

The deal for the left-hander includes a mutual option for 2028, according to a person who confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical.

The 30-year-old Kay pitched in Japan for the past two years. He last appeared in a big league game on Oct. 1, 2023, with the New York Mets.

The White Sox finished last in the AL Central this year with a 60-102 record, but that was a 19-game improvement from the previous season. They 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 started in Japan, but he worked out of the bullpen mostly during his first stint in the majors.

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 44 major league games, also playing for Toronto and the Chicago Cubs.

FanSided.com first reported Kay's contract with the White Sox.

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