It’s already been an offseason of transition for the Chicago White Sox as they said goodbye to Robin Ventura and hired Rick Renteria as their new manager, but that is just the beginning as the team looks to begin reshaping its roster.
While potential trades of players like Chris Sale could be on the menu, Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams will first have to make decisions on the team’s free agents as the offseason begins. Will they hold onto the players whose contracts are up, or will they make a clean break and bring in fresh faces?
Here are our thoughts on each of the team’s unrestricted free agents.
Matt Albers
2016 Salary: $2 million
Chances of Coming Back: 1 percent
Albers, who is 34 years old and coming off of a rough season, is now 34 years old, and the White Sox opted not to pick up his contract option for next season. It would seem highly unlikely that the team will bring him back at that price again, and he’ll likely land another similar-paying gig in a relatively weak free agent market.
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Alex Avila
2016 Salary: $2.5 million
Chances of Coming Back: 20 percent
The White Sox signed Avila and Dioner Navarro to contracts before the 2016 season to give themselves a one-two punch of solid catchers, but that didn’t really work out in Avila’s case. In 209 at-bats, the catcher had a paltry .213 batting average, and although he did hit seven home runs, he only drove in 11 RBI, the lowest total of his big league career.
The Sox will have plenty of options on the free agent market if they opt not to bring Avila back, including Matt Wieters and Kurt Suzuki, among others.
Austin Jackson
2016 Salary: $5 million
Chances of Coming Back: 10 percent
The White Sox made a smart move when they brought in Jackson and shifted Adam Eaton to right field, but the Jackson portion of the equation didn’t really work out as injuries derailed his season.
Going into this offseason, the White Sox will have some options on the free agent market that would leave Eaton in right where he belongs and will give them a defensive upgrade in center, meaning that a player like Dexter Fowler could be an enticing prospect.
Justin Morneau
2016 Salary: $1.1 million
Chances of Coming Back: 40 percent
The White Sox seemed to strike gold when they added Morneau on a cheap contract, as the slugger hit six home runs and drove in 25 RBI in 218 plate appearances after returning from an injury after the All-Star break.
While it isn’t likely that Morneau will be back, the White Sox do tend to like veteran left-handed hitters, so there is a stronger chance of the 35-year old returning than the other free agents that the White Sox have on their roster.