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Chicago White Sox: Who should stay and go in free agency?

By Joshua Finkelstein |
(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

The Chicago White Sox have free agents this offseason as does every team in baseball and they will need to determine whether they would like to retain each of them this offseason.

"Chicago
"Chicago /

Jose Abreu

Most likely keep. The first baseman is coming off one of the best seasons of his career this past season as he led the American League with 123 RBI. With him being the only consistent force throughout the entirety of this rebuild, he provides some familiarity and consistency for the young guys, which the organization should take into consideration even if there are players such as Nicholas Castellanos and J.D. Martinez that provide similar value.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JULY 17: Starting pitcher Ivan Nova #46 of the Chicago White Sox pitches during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 17, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JULY 17: Starting pitcher Ivan Nova #46 of the Chicago White Sox pitches during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 17, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Ivan Nova

Possibly keep. The starter was flashy by no means in 2019 with a 4.72 ERA and 5.5 K/9. That being said he provided them with 187 innings and 34 starts which is valuable for a young rotation that could very much use that. There are a plethora of options on the free-agent market that could be had a similar price to Nova, so the team should definitely look at all avenues before turning back to Nova.
Possibly keep. The starter was flashy by no means in 2019 with a 4.72 ERA and 5.5 K/9. That being said he provided them with 187 innings and 34 starts which is valuable for a young rotation that could very much use that. There are a plethora of options on the free-agent market that could be had a similar price to Nova, so the team should definitely look at all avenues before turning back to Nova. /

Welington Castillo

Let walk. Castillo has an $8 million club option for the 2020 season that should without a doubt be declined. While a .684 OPS is not too bad for a catcher, the team should look to find a better defensive catcher to be the backup behind James McCann for the upcoming season. If the team could bring Castillo back on a minor-league deal that would be okay, but bringing him back otherwise probably isn’t in the cards.

"Chicago
"Chicago /

 Jon Jay

Let walk. The team partially brought on the 35-year-old outfielder knowing he was close with Manny Machado when they were still hoping to bring aboard the young superstar. In the end, though, Machado chose the San Diego Padres to sign with and the White Sox were stuck with an outfielder who compiled a .626 OPS in 2019. This is an easy pass for next season.

Hector Santiago

Let walk. Santiago returned back to the organization he called home from 2007-2013 this past year, but being used as a reliever and a starter, struggled to the tune of a 6.66 ERA while averaging 6.0 BB/9. While his 11.9 K/9 rate was encouraging, he will continue to struggle as long as his control wavers which makes him no more than a minor-league signing for any team.

"Chicago
"Chicago /

Ross Detwiler

Let walk. His 6.59 ERA makes him an easy pass for this team as they look to contend in 2020. If the team needs 12 starts from him next season as they did in 2019, they will have significant problems. There are many better options to serve as insurance for the starting rotation and arms like him and Santiago are not the types of pitchers they should be pursuing.

Next. How important is retaining Jose Abreu?. dark

The Chicago White Sox have a chance to make a huge leap in 2020 and they need to take inventory of what they have and who they should look to retain as they embark on a critical offseason.

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