On the first day of the offseason for all 30 MLB teams the White Sox made a few roster moves, doing some housekeeping on their 40-man roster and saving $500k by trading away catcher Welington Castillo.
Thursday was also the official start of free agency, as 131 players across the league declared for free agency. That included five White Sox players, headlined by José Abreu.
I’d like to imagine players declare for free agency just like Michael Scott declared for bankruptcy.
Out of the five White Sox players to hit the open market Abreu is really the only one who the team and fans should want to re-sign. After spending the first six years of his MLB career with the White Sox, Abreu has made it pretty clear that he intends to re-sign on the South Side.
Back in August, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf pretty much guaranteed that Abreu would finish his career with the White Sox.
Despite being on pace to put up some of the worst numbers of his career through early August, Abreu finished 2019 strong, hitting 33 home runs and a career best 123 RBIs.
The 32-year-old made $16 million in 2019, a raise from the $13 million he earned in 2018.
As far as Ross Detwiler, Hector Santiago, Jon Jay and Ivan Nova, goodbye! The White Sox have plenty of money to spend this offseason and that should include making big upgrades to their pitching staff and outfield. No need for placeholders anymore, especially if the White Sox are serious about contending in 2020.
