While the White Sox managerial search dominated the early offseason headlines, several key decisions on players will still need to be made. The front office is going to have to decide what to do with nine arbitration-eligible players.
The arbitration process occurs when a player and team fail to agree on a salary number for the upcoming season. Players without a contract by mid-January go into arbitration. A hearing is then held with the player and team, who each submit a salary number. The hearing is overseen by independent auditors who rule in favor of one of the sides.
Nicky Lopez, Matt Foster, Garrett Crochet, Enyel De Los Santos, Andrew Vaughn, Jimmy Lambert, Gavin Sheets and Steven Wilson are all arbitration-eligible. However, given some of the White Sox cost constraints and lack of performance several of these players are likely to be non-tendered.
Nicky Lopez, INF
Nicky Lopez has over five years of service time and is projected to earn around $4.6 million next season. Lopez was acquired in a trade with the Braves for White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer, despite the fact he was likely going to be non-tendered by the Braves. He soon could be a non-tender candidate for the White Sox.
Lopez slashed .241/.312/.294 in 124 games with the White Sox, hitting one home run and driving in 21 RBIs. While he wasn’t much of a factor at the plate he did play respectable defense, earning a Gold Glove nomination for his work at second base.
Lopez played 83 games at second base, 72 of which were starts. However, he also played 45 games at shortstop, making 39 starts. His five Outs Above Average ranked in the MLB’s 88th percentile. In the 640.1 innings he played at second base he committed just three errors. He also logged 100 putouts and 180 assists while helping turn 33 double plays from the right side of the infield. His 3.54 Range Factor per nine innings at second base ranked fifth in the MLB.
While his defense was solid it might not be enough to justify the White Sox paying him around $5 million. Bryan Ramos and Miguel Vargas will each garner playing time in the infield. The White Sox also have several prospects close to getting called up, including the MLB’s 37th-ranked prospect Colson Montgomery.
Matt Foster, RHP
Matt Foster has just over four years of service time, all with the White Sox. He is projected to earn $900 thousand. In four seasons with the White Sox Foster has pitched in 114 games and owns a 4.30 ERA. In those 119.1 innings, opponents are hitting .235 off of him.
Foster posted a 2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings for the White Sox this past season but spent the bulk of the year in the minor leagues. The right-hander had missed the entire 2023 season due a right flexor strain that eventually resulted in Tommy John surgery.
It had been a long road back to the show for the 29-year-old right-hander. Foster opened the 2023 season on the 15-day IL with a right flexor strain and was eventually moved to the 60-day IL to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.
During his 2020 rookie campaign, Foster posted a 2.20 ERA in 28.2 innings and was tied for first amongst American League relievers with six wins. He struck out a career-high 28.4% of opponents but did have some luck on his side with a 4.48 expected ERA. Things leveled out the following season when his ERA ballooned up to 5.77 in 2021.
Foster rebounded in 2022 lowering his ERA to 4.20 in a career high 45 innings of work across 48 appearances. Of those 48 appearances, 12 came on zero days rest. Foster thrived on the quick turnarounds recording a 1.59 ERA when pitching on no rest.
Given the lack of playing time he received at the big league level, Foster is on the hot seat to be non-tendered. But don’t be surprised if Chris Getz brings him back into the fold as a cheap relief option.
Enyel De Los Santos, RHP
The White Sox claimed Enyel De Los Santos off waivers in August. He has four years of service time under his belt and is projected to make roughly $1.8 million next season.
That is a pretty expensive price tag for a reliever who posted a 5.20 ERA last season. The White Sox marked De Los Santos's third team in 2024. He saw the majority of his success with the White Sox. After posting a 4.46 and 14.21 ERA with the Padres and Yankees, he rebounded by producing a 3.63 ERA in 17.1 innings with the South Siders. During that stretch opponents only hit .213 off of him.
The White Sox are familiar with De Los Santos from his time with the Guardians. In 120 appearances with Cleveland in 2022 and 2023 he had a 3.18 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 1.11 WHIP, and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
He is a free agent in 2026 so the question will be if his final 15 games with the White Sox are enough to keep him around for 2025.
Andrew Vaughn, 1B
Following the 2024 season, Andrew Vaughn earned his fourth year of service time with the White Sox. The 26-year-old first baseman is projected to earn anywhere from $4-6 million.
Vaughn has failed to live up to the hype since being selected third overall in the 2019 MLB draft. Not all of his struggles can be pinned on Vaughn however. During his 2021 rookie season, he was asked to learn to play left field, a position he hadn’t played since grade school. A 107 game of shagging fly balls took a toll on Vaughn’s legs as his second-half numbers took a noticeable dip.
The 2023 season marked the first time that Vaughn was able to play his primary position of first base for the bulk of the season. His strikeout rate increased from 17 percent to 21 percent while his batting average dropped from .271 to .258 and his slugging percentage remained the same. However, he did post career highs in home runs (21) and RBIs (80)
The 2024 season was more of the same. In 570 at-bats he slashed .246/..297/.402 with 19 homers and 70 RBIs. Vaughn is the definition of league average. In fact, given his 99 OPS+, he was slightly below league average last season. If the White Sox do not see him as their future at first base Vaughn could be a non-tender candidate.
Justin Anderson, RHP
The 2024 season marked Justin Anderson’s first with the White Sox after spending the first two years of his MLB career with the Angels. Anderson has accumulated just over three years of service time and is expected to make $1.2 million.
He threw 53.1 innings across 56 appearances for the White Sox, posting a 4.63 ERA. Anderson’s 13.2 percent walk rate caused many of his issues, as opponents only hit .234 off of him. Anderson also had a tough time generating ground balls with a ground ball rate of 38 percent, which ranks in the bottom half of the league.
Jimmy Lambert, RHP
Jimmy Lambert was drafted by the White Sox in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft. He made his debut in 2020 but has only accumulated three years of service time after not pitching for the big league club in 2024 due to an injury. He is projected to earn around $1.2 million next season.
Lambert only threw in Rookie Ball last season while rehabbing from a significant shoulder injury which cost him his season. In 2023 he made 35 appearances, including one start. After not allowing a run in his first seven appearances he finished the year with a 5.26 ERA in 37.2 innings. He walked 11.6 percent of opponents and allowed and expected slugging percentage of .487.
Lambert owns a career 4.33 ERA in 99.2 innings. At this point, Lambert has shown what he can be as an MLB pitcher. A $1.2 million investment into a pitcher who didn’t pitch in 2024 and was ineffective in 2023 doesn’t seem like a smart move.
Gavin Sheets, DH, 1B
When Gavin Sheets burst onto the scene in 2021 he looked like he could be a productive left-handed bat moving forward. In just 54 games he hit 11 home runs drove in 34 RBIs and hit .250. He followed that up with four hits in the ALDS.
But since 2021, Sheets's production has plummeted. In 2022, he hit a career-high 15 homers and 53 RBIs in 124 games but dropped his average to .241. In 2023, he slashed just .203/.267/.331 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs. This past season, he struck out 106 times with a .233 batting average and .660 OPS and once again only hit 10 homers.
Across the board, Sheets' offensive numbers were below league average. He ranked in the league's 35th percentile in slugging percentage (.389), 23rd in average exit velocity (87.8%), 24th in chase rate (32.4%), and 22nd in hard-hit percentage (35.3%). Adding insult to injury is his sub-par defense. In 2024, he owned an OAA of -8, which ranked in the MLB’s fourth percentile.
Sheets is expected to make $2.6 million next season.
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