Veteran Nicky Lopez is good for the community but not for power or value in the lineup.
Nicky from Naperville has been great at giving back to his hometown area. He also has been willing to honestly discuss the horrendous 2024 season when asked.
What he is not good at is hitting the ball over the fence. He hit one home run all season and had a wRC+ of 77. He led the team in on-base percentage, but that is not saying much since it was .312.
He is projected to earn $5.1 million next season. That is not something you pay for in a veteran utility player. Contenders would not even pay that much.
Heck, he was waived after the trade deadline with the hope a contender might want him on their bench and everyone passed despite his decent speed.
He does not do anything special in the field either. He was -1 defensive runs saved at second and -9 at shortstop. Lenyn Sosa's solid finish to the season means the Sox will be fine without Lopez at second. Nicky's lack of pop and terrible defensive runs saved numbers shows he should not be playing shortstop.
Making matters worst, he already had his career season in 2021. There is nothing to point to and think he might get better.