Chicago White Sox: Three players they should lock up right now
The Chicago White Sox have done very well at getting their internal contracts done so these three getting done should be the next priority.
The Chicago White Sox have a phenomenal young group of players. Some are at slightly different positions contractually but they are all around the same age. This is a core that will be the main focus of the team as they try to compete for multiple years in a row. They have done a really good job of locking these guys up for the future but they still have a few more to go.
There will always be guys they need to extend as the years go quickly. They also have new talent coming in and out each year so they just need to make sure their spending money is going to the right places. It will always be remembered as a blessing in disguise that they missed on Manny Machado during the 2018-19 offseason because he will only continue to get older and decline on that big contract.
They have already locked up guys like Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert long term so that is a really good start. They also have some other options as Yasmani Grandal and Dallas Keuchel should be on the South Side for a long time. They have also been good historically as they were successful with getting long term deals done with Chris Sale and Jose Quintana. You can go even further back than that with players like Paul Konerko or Mark Buehrle.
They have always been good at maintaining their own players on team-friendly deals. The goal is to keep that going with their current core. There are some pieces that are clearly answers to key positions long term and those are the ones that should be taken care of first. These are the three players the White Sox should lock up long term:
128. . 3B. Chicago White Sox. Yoan Moncada. 1. player
The most important player in the Chicago White Sox organization is probably Yoan Moncada. He arguably has the highest ceiling amongst every player there. He was also the main piece in the first trade the White Sox made. He was the number one prospect in the world when the White Sox traded Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox. He has come over and lived up to the hype. It took him a while to get to that level as he struggled at first but he is elite now.
He was given a contract by the Boston Red Sox so the White Sox has yet to lock him up super long term. He is set to become a free agent after the 2023 season. That is still four seasons left but the White Sox want to make sure that Moncada lasts with them for much longer than that. He is the type of guy that the team wants leading them for the next decade or more.
He had a breakout season in 2019. 2018 was a major struggle but he turned it completely around. He was third in American League hitting with a .315 batting average. He also added in 25 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 83 runs scored. It was a huge year for the White Sox star so they need to lock him up right away.
128. . SP. Chicago White Sox. Lucas Giolito. 2. player
The best pitcher in the White Sox organization is Lucas Giolito. That is subject to change because there are some really good arms coming up like Micahel Kopech and Dylan Cease. Those guys are awesome but there is no doubt that Giolito is the ace of the staff right now and very well could be for a long time. He also came over the White Sox on a contract given to him by another team as the Nationals sent him over in the Adam Eaton came.
Giolito, like Moncada, is a free agent after the 2023 season. Pitchers are a little different than position players because they have a little bit less of a lifespan. One pitch could end their career or start to deteriorate at any moment. Either way, Giolito is worth the risk because of how good he is. The White Sox are hoping that he can be at the top of their rotation for a very long time.
Giolito’s contract isn’t the only thing you can compare to Moncada. He also had a breakout season in 2019 after being terrible in 2018. He was statistically the worst pitcher in all of baseball in 2018 and then turned around to have a sixth place Cy Young finish in 2019. He was selected to his first All-Star game as a result of his awesome performance. The White Sox should extend Giolito right now if he is willing.
player. 128. . 2B. Chicago White Sox. Nick Madrigal. 3
Nick Madrigal‘s situation is a lot different than Yoan Moncada and Lucas Giolito’s. Those guys were traded to Chicago while Nick Madrigal was drafted by the organization in 2018. After finishing his last season at Oregon State he came to the Minor Leagues and really started to improve his game. He was awesome through the Minor League ranks in 2019 which led to him eventually ending in AAA. He also won a Minor League Gold Glove along with his awesome offensive output.
The White Sox would be wise to extend Madrigal to a contract before the season starts. They could handle him the same way they handled Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez ahead of their rookie seasons. Robert is going to likely be with the White Sox on opening day so Madrigal should get the same treatment if they plan on having him at any point early in the 2020 season.
They surely believe that he is a part of the long term future. He has been wildly successful so far in the early part of his professional career and it can only get better from there. It would be nice to see the White Sox have their long term answer there for the whole season. They pretty much have a plan for every position in the infield and Madrigal is going to be a big part of that.
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It would be awesome to see the White Sox take care of the guys that are going to bring the good stuff to their team. They are certainly not going to be able to retain every single good player that comes through over the years but these three are ones that deserve to be here in the long term. Part of what will determine their success is how they are able to replenish those around them.