White Sox decline team option on former top prospect

The White Sox will not exercise their $25M club option for Yoán Moncada’s services in 2025. He will receive a $5M buyout instead. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reported the news Thursday afternoon on X.

This has been the expected outcome for a while. Moncada has had some good performances in the majors, but the past three seasons have seen him underperform and miss significant time due to injury or both.

Due to various injuries, Moncada appeared in just 208 games during the 2022-24 seasons. That includes just 12 games in the ’24 campaign, as a left adductor strain kept him on the injured list for most of the year. Even when he came off the IL, the Sox didn’t play him much, preferring to give that time to younger players who could be part of the next competitive window.

Even on the field, Moncada hasn’t performed especially well lately. He has hit .236/.291/.387 since the start of 2021 for a wRC+ of 88. With that performance, it’s unsurprising that the Sox would balk at giving Moncada another $20M to stick around for one more year.

That leaves Moncada as a buy-low bounceback candidate in free agency this winter. He was once a high-profile defector from Cuba and a highly regarded prospect with the Red Sox, heading to Chicago as part of the Chris Sale trade in December 2016.

Moncada took a few years, but he finally had his long-awaited breakout in 2019, launching 25 home runs and slashing .315/.367/.548 for a wRC+ of 139. Combined with his strong defense, he was worth 5.2 wins above replacement that year in the eyes of FanGraphs.

Going into 2020, the Sox bet on Moncada by giving him a five-year, $70M extension, including a club option. He struggled a bit in the shortened 2020 season but bounced back with another strong campaign in 2021. But then, as mentioned, the past three seasons have been very disappointing, leading the Sox to turn down the option Thursday.

Despite the many ups and downs in his journey, Moncada is still relatively young, not turning 30 until May. On account of his many health issues, he will likely find some club willing to make a small bet on his past pedigree, perhaps on a deal loaded with incentives.

Alex Bregman headlines the third base free agent market, but most other options are bench/utility guys like Paul DeJong, Gio Urshela and Amed Rosario. The trade market could feature Nolan Arenado or Eugenio Suárez, but it’s unclear how available either player is, and Arenado’s no-trade clause could complicate matters. Moncada is a risky play, but it has also demonstrated an upside.