In light of the horrible season that the Chicago White Sox has had, the organization has made three right decisions for the franchise’s future: firing former manager Pedro Grifol, slashing 2025 ticket prices by roughly ten percent, and more recently, cutting the team payroll in 2025.
Per USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale, the Sox plan to cut their payroll next year.
Currently, the Sox have nearly $149 estimated million on their payroll according to FanGraphs’ RosterResource, and they are projected to have $35.35 million of guaranteed payroll next year. Out of the $35.35 million, outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert’s lengthy contracts are worth $32.1 million combined in 2025.
Several players are expected to help the Sox shed their payroll.
Third baseman Yoan Moncada likely won’t have his club option of $25 million exercised due to his injury history, and catcher Max Stassi is also doubtful to return due to similar reasons.
Moncada and Stassi’s buyouts together cost $5.5 million, a fraction of the price to keep them. Struggling first baseman Andrew Vaughn may be non-tendered, too, which would save at least a few million. Every other player on the team will either become a free agent or should cost less than $4 million to keep.
Payroll cuts are inevitable for this suffering team.
Aside from the team’s piss-poor performance, ESPN reported that fan attendance dropped from $21,405 to 17,959 on average from last year, ranking 27th in the league. Shedding payroll is the next step after Getz’s announcement that the Sox won’t spend on free agents this winter.
Like it or not, the Sox have young talent to work with as they head into a true rebuild.
Starting pitcher Garrett Crochet is only 25 and has shown he can pitch gems. Sean Burke and Jairo Iriarte were also recently brought up from Charlotte Triple-A and have exhibited promise for becoming solid pitchers in their few appearances. Catcher Korey Lee works well with young pitchers and is by far an upgrade from Martín Maldonado defensively and as a batter.
Besides currently rostered players, several minor-league prospects will try to make a name for themselves in 2025. Brooks Baldwin made his MLB debut in July and will try to gain consistency in the offseason.
Noah Shultz, Colson Montgomery, and Hagen Smith are the top three prospects in Chicago’s farm system, and they are projected to debut next year as well. Third basemen Lenyn Sosa and Bryan Ramos have spent 2024 bouncing back and forth between Triple-A and the Majors, and both are eager to find their footing to earn a starting spot in the spring.
There’s talent in this franchise, but finding the right coaches to develop these players will be pivotal. Spending a lot of money after the franchise hit rock bottom sends a message that money is the issue when it isn’t. The problem lies with the coaching. If the Sox truly want to right their wrongs, they will invest in player development before acquiring new players.