White Sox: 1 contract Chicago would like to erase

The Chicago White Sox have practically no bad contracts on the books right now. If they had to get rid of one, which would it be?

If you’re an MLB team coming out of a rebuilding period, you want to be in exactly the position the Chicago White Sox are in right now.

Chicago has an AL MVP in Jose Abreu and a roster full of team-friendly deals. They’re a World Series contender who won’t be paying anyone more than $19 million this year.

There may have been risks taken signing young players, but there are no awful contracts on the books compared to other teams out there.

So if the White Sox had to get rid of one, which would it be? It might be Yoan Moncada’s.

Yoan Moncada has to bounce back to justify his $70 million extension

Chicago gave Moncada a five-year extension in March of 2020. He was coming off a career-best season with 25 home runs and 79 RBIs. His batting average was .315, his slugging percentage was .548, and his OPS hit .915. It made a lot of sense to lock in the 25-year-old third baseman.

However, the 2020 season created some doubt on that front. The magic seemed to leave Moncada as his batting average dipped back down to .225, his slugging percentage dropped to .385, and his OPS fell to .705. Basically, his numbers looked a lot more like his pre-breakout years than anyone would have liked.

Moncada didn’t contribute much in the postseason either. He made 14 plate appearances against Oakland and managed just one hit.

Was 2019 just a flash in the pan? The White Sox need that not to be the case, but it’s a certain possibility.

In a few months, the $6.8 million Chicago will pay Moncada this year could look worth it. It might also look like a bad deal. Time will tell.

The good news is the anxiety over a possible mistake on Moncada’s contract is minimal. It’s not something that will make or break the team’s ability to compete. That’s a position most teams could live with.