(Update: Paul DeJong is officially a White Sox, with Adam Haseley DFA'd to make room.)
Paul DeJong might not be the most scintillating inaugural signing, but he's nevertheless Chris Getz's first as White Sox general manager.
It also gives us our first indication of how a Getz administration values players, both in terms of priorities and dollars, in a way the 5-for-1 trade for Aaron Bummer doesn't. The specifics of that six-player swap were dictated by other forces besides Getz's distilled preferences, including but not limited to:
- The White Sox having little use for Bummer at $5.5 million, especially if they can't figure out a defense to support him.
- The Braves in a mood to clear-cut their 40-man roster.
- The non-tender deadline prompting Atlanta to get anything of value for players like Nicky Lopez and Mike Soroka.
The DeJong signing is far simpler. The White Sox were on him when free agency opened, and three weeks after we relayed that information, the deal is all but complete, with Jon Heyman adding the terms:
I guessed DeJong would receive $5 million or so just because the White Sox made a bee line right to him, and early contracts often reflect disproportionate demand. That didn't happen here. DeJong is paid appropriately as a middle infielder with MLB-caliber defense and the ability to run into 10 homers a year. If DeJong's final two months are a sign of what's to come, he'll be hard-pressed to find a major-league deal this time next season, but at this stage in his career, these are financial terms that are impossible to be mad at. That's "pleasant surprise" money or "forgettable DFA" money, depending on your general disposition.
The timing is what's potentially objectionable, because Getz effectively began remaking the roster with a February signing in November. DeJong's contract is the Josh Harrison deal with Leury García's priority boarding group in the crossover event nobody asked for.
If Getz signed DeJong to solve shortstop as soon as possible as cheap as possible, then it's pretty uninspired. Sure, it's obvious why Getz would want to upgrade the defense, and you can make an easy argument that improved gloves up the middle is the cheapest way to make White Sox baseball more digestible, but any GM can emphasize one particular skill at the expense of everything else.
However, it's plausible enough to picture a situation where the White Sox acquire somebody's blocked infielder for starts at shortstop -- Baltimore's Joey Ortiz is a popular option in the Offseason Plan Project -- and DeJong is relegated to welcome ballast, especially since he'd also provide one more layer of insulation between the 26-man roster and Colson Montgomery.
I"m bracing for the former scenario, but the latter outcome would render any immediate disgust moot, which is why I'm keeping it chambered. When it comes to the White Sox, there's always ample opportunity for irritation down the line.
While the White Sox haven't yet announced the DeJong signing because it requires clearing a spot on the 40-man roster, they made a minor move, literally, figuratively and officially, by signing Mark Payton to a minor-league contract (hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors for bringing it to my attention).
This is not a cause for excitement. Payton turns 32 next month, his three cups of coffee all taste the same ...
- 2020: .167/.250/.222 over 20 PA
- 2021: .182/.250/.182 over 24 PA
- 2022: .143/.280/.143 over 25 PA
... and he's returning from Japan, where a foray with Seibu didn't go as planned. He hit just .215/.266/.327 for the Lions, and ended up being sent down to the NPB minor leagues.
But the White Sox appear to have a fondness for Payton, because they re-signed him last winter before releasing him from his obligations to pursue a better opportunity in Japan, and now they're back together again.
The safe call is that Getz liked what Payton brought to Charlotte as much as everybody else did, and likes having him around the Triple-A roster if it continues to be Payton's best opportunity. If you're up for doing some galaxy-braining, Payton is an Orland Park native. Lump him in with Antioch's DeJong and Naperville's Nicky Lopez, and it ever so slightly bolsters Chorizy's theory that the White Sox are signing anybody whose relatives might buy a ticket package.
