Chicago White Sox Should Non-Tender Yolmer Sanchez

Yolmer Sanchez has provided the Chicago White Sox with solid infield defense over the last few years, but the team would be wise to non-tender him this offseason. 

According to MLB Trade Rumors arbitration projections, the Chicago White Sox would have to pay Yolmer Sanchez $6.2 million in 2020 to retain him.

While that number is not that high, it is more than most teams would want to pay for a player that could be a utility infielder within the first few weeks of the season.

With top prospect Nick Madrigal expected to take over at the keystone early in the year, Sanchez would merely become a backup to Madrigal at second base as well as Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada at shortstop and third base, respectively.

Sanchez, 27, also does not possess a strong pinch-hitting option as he registered a lowly .252/.318/.321 slash line with two homers and 43 RBI. That led to him having a 74 wRC+.

His defense, though, is what carried him to getting a 1.0 WAR as he had 11 DRS and a 4.9 UZR in 2019 while playing second base, according to FanGraphs.

Now, the team does need to improve their defense this offseason which is an area that Sanchez excels in.

That being said, Sanchez is a significantly below-average bat in the lineup, which means he would almost certainly not start for the White Sox and many other contending teams unless he was in a lineup like the Houston Astros have since they have more than enough offense already.

Furthermore, the White Sox could use that money to acquire someone that is a strong defender at a position of need such as one of the outfield spots, with right field appearing to be the most convenient spot to acquire a strong defensive player right now.

While the decision to non-tender Sanchez is not a no-brainer for the Chicago White Sox, given they will not have a starting spot for him long-term, the team would be better off spending the $6.2 million elsewhere this offseason.