The White Sox finally finalized their release of Yolmer Sánchez, and in the end, it assumed the form of a standard non-tender.
Sánchez wasn't alone, even if he was the only arb-eligible player the White Sox non-tendered on Monday. They also declined to offer contracts to very pre-arb players Ryan Burr and Caleb Frare, and granted Thyago Vieira a release to pursue an opportunity in Japan.
All other arb-eligible players received contracts, with James McCann as the day's lone true victor. He emerged from the deadline with a $5.4 million contract for 2020, or $500,000 above his MLB Trade Rumors projection.
The release of Burr, who is the middle of rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, strikes me as a little severe, but seeing it paired with Vieira's departure and Frare's non-tender provides a more consistent set of standards. In a convenient twist, the White Sox acquired all three pitchers with international bonus money. Those exchanges made some sense when they couldn't spend more than $300,000 on any one player, but it's not a great strategy going forward.
Context also looms large with the Sánchez decision. Sánchez looked like a likely non-tender candidate from the moment his $6.2 million salary projection was released, and he has a lot of company on the open market. Bench players around the league were rejected with extreme prejudice.
The survey of non-tendered players shows a bunch of proven MLB players set free:
- Catchers: Josh Phegley, Kevan Smith, Kevin Plawecki, John Ryan Murphy, Caleb Joseph
- Infielders: Yolmer Sánchez, C.J. Cron, Tim Beckham, Cheslor Cuthbert, Charlie Culberson, Cesar Hernandez, Maikel Franco, Tyler Saladino, Travis Shaw, Jose Peraza, Addison Russell
- Outfielders: Domingo Santana, Steven Souza Jr., Kevan Pillar
Jonathan Villar and Jesus Aguilar both might've been on this list but the Marlins ended up acquiring both players for cheap.
Sánchez should find a home, but when you see him in this list, it's easy to understand why the White Sox felt comfortable exploring other options. Even if you limit the field of available players to just this list, the switch-hitting Hernandez or left-handed Shaw would offer more punch for covering the same spots, at least assuming Shaw's 2019 collapse doesn't mean he's toast.
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Other pertinent developments:
*Speaking of second basemen, the Cincinnati Reds paid handsomely for a new one by signing Mike Moustakas to a four-year, $64 million contract. This is the kind of deal that would seem absurd three years ago, but is now kinda refreshing for its sense of justice, as well as the guilelessness in attempting to improve the team. Like Yasmani Grandal's deal with the White Sox, this represents a surprisingly low high-water mark for Cincinnati's free agent spending.
*The White Sox could set another franchise record if they land Zack Wheeler, because Ken Rosenthal says the righty is going to be a $100 million man.
Wheeler, 29, has received at least one $100 million offer and will land a five-year deal in excess of that amount, according to major-league sources.
The White Sox, Twins, Reds, Rangers and Blue Jays are among the clubs pursuing Wheeler, who is the leading free-agent alternative to fellow right-handers Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg even though his career ERA+ (ERA adjusted to park and league) is exactly league average.
