White Sox Decline $3.5 Million Option on Geovany Soto
By Matt Manetti
The White Sox declined the $3.5 million option on catcher Geovany Soto. The 34 year old missed most of 2017 recovering from elbow surgery.
Geovany Soto may not be back in a Chicago White Sox uniform in 2018. The organization declined his $3.5 million option in favor of a $250,000 buyout. Dan Hayes of NBC Sports Chicago reported the move. Soto missed most of the 2017 season recovering from elbow surgery.
Soto is a former rookie of the year who broke into the league with the Cubs. This was his second stint with the White Sox. However, he hasn’t made over 210 plate appearances since 2012. In 2017 he appeared in just 13 games and made 48 plate appearances.
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The White Sox don’t have much depth at catcher. So it isn’t out of the question the two sides could agree on a new contract. However, paying someone like Soto $3.5 million after coming off an injury doesn’t make good baseball sense. That money could be well spent somewhere else. Perhaps on an arm for either the bullpen or starting rotation.
Despite the injury, someone like Soto does have some value for this team. He is a veteran catcher and that is always a plus. Especially when you’re dealing with a young pitching rotation.
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If there is mutual interest, the White Sox could easily bring him back on a minor-league contract. That way there isn’t much financial obligation for the organization. The White Sox also have Kevan Smith under team control next season. That gives them another option behind the plate. However, he only appeared in 94 games in 2017. Because of that, it may be smart for them to consider resigning Soto to add some additional depth.