According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the White Sox have engaged in extension talks with Lucas Giolito and Andrew Vaughn.
This should come as no surprise. Extending players has been a staple of Rick Hahn's tenure as general manager. Extending early and often is a major factor in why the White Sox contention window is so wide open.
Extended Adam Eaton, Jose Quintana and Chris Sale early, gave the White Sox a ton of team control. This made them an attractive targets for teams when the White Sox decided to rebuild. As a result they received huge hauls that kickstarted the rebuild. Now he is using extensions as a way to keep this talented roster intact for years to come.
On the current roster Hahn has already extended Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert. They are under team control until 2024,2025,2026 and 2027.
Continuing the trend with Vaughn
Some people may be questioning giving Andrew Vaughn an extension even though he has never taken a major league at bat. But extending players early has proven to be an effective strategy for Rick Hahn. His philosophy is the organization believes in a players ability, extend them long term. By extending players before they reach the majors, Hahn is getting a team friendly salary because they have yet to play a game, while also preventing them from improving their value by preforming well in the major leagues.
He recently extended Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez before they even played a game. Both player project to be among baseball's best within a few years so their contracts look like a bargain. This approach also allows Hahn to allocate some resources elsewhere during free agency.
The next rookie in line for an extension is Andrew Vaughn. Vaughn is a strange case, Like Jimenez and Robert, the White Sox think very highly of him. He has also never played a game in the majors. The difference is he has only 55 minor league at bats and did not play at all last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jimenez and Robert had already established themselves in the minor leagues before inking extensions.
Vaughn has received rave reviews during spring training and already looks like a natural hitter. He also also preformed well during the spring at the plate. He has even flashed the leather at first base. Vaughn is projected to be the White Sox opening day designated hitter so extending him would evaporate any concerns of service time.
Extending Giolito is a no Brainer
Unlike Andrew Vaughn, Lucas Giolito has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game. After posting the worse ERA in baseball in 2018 he bounced back becoming an All-Star in 2019. He was rewarded by being named the opening day starter in 2020. Giolito returned the favor by continuing his dominance. He threw a no-hitter against the Pirates and took a perfect game into the seventh inning in his first postseason start against the Athletics. Tony La Russa has already named him the Opening Day starter for 2021 so the White Sox would be wise to get an extension finalized before Giolito can increase his value any further.
Rick Hahn wants has stated on multiple occasions that he wants this team to compete on an annual basis. Getting these deals done would be another power move to accomplish just that.
