White Sox and Adam Eaton agree to terms on five-year contract with two club options

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a five-year, $23.5-million contract with outfielder Adam Eaton, which includes club options for 2020 and 2021.

Under terms of the contract, the 26-year-old Eaton will receive $850,000 in 2015, $2.75 million in 2016, $4 million in 2017, $6 million in 2018 and $8.4 million in 2019. The White Sox hold options for 2020 at $9.5 million and for 2021 at $10.5 million. If either option is declined, Eaton will receive a $1.5-million buyout.

Eaton batted .300 (148-486) with 26 doubles, 10 triples, one home run, 35 RBI, 76 runs scored and 15 stolen bases in 2014, his first season with the White Sox after being acquired from Arizona. 

The 5-foot-8, 185-pound Eaton tied for the American League lead in triples, ranked third in average with runners in scoring position (.355), 10th in average and 12th in on-base percentage (.362) last season. He became the first White Sox player to lead the league in triples since Lance Johnson from 1991-94.

"Adam serves as a catalyst, brings a spark of energy to the ballpark each and every day and helps ignite our offense," said Rick Hahn, White Sox senior vice president/general manager. "He provided everything we look for in a leadoff hitter, a centerfielder and a competitor after joining us last season. We expect him to be an important part of this team's success moving forward and are very pleased we were able to reach this agreement to keep him in a White Sox uniform for potentially the next seven seasons."

Among AL leadoff hitters in 2014, Eaton tied for first in triples, ranked second in on-base percentage, third in average and hits and fourth in runs scored.

He is a career .281 (231-821) hitter with a .350 on-base percentage in 211 games over three major-league seasons with the Diamondbacks (2012-13) and Chicago (2014). Eaton originally was selected by Arizona in the 19th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

Eaton would have been eligible for free agency following the 2018 season.