White Sox and Yoán Moncada Agree to terms on five-year contract with club option for 2025

March 6th, 2020

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a five-year, $70-million contract with third baseman Yoán Moncada, plus one club option that could extend the deal through the 2025 season.

Under terms of the contract, Moncada will receive a $4-million signing bonus, $1 million in 2020, $6 million in 2021, $13 million in 2022, $17 million in 2023 and $24 million in 2024. The White Sox hold an option for $25 million in 2025, with a $5-million buyout.

Moncada, 24, joins teammates Aaron Bummer (February 22), Luis Robert (January 2), Dallas Keuchel (December 30, 2019), Yasmani Grandal (November 21, 2019), José Abreu (November 22, 2019), Eloy Jiménez (March 22, 2019) and Tim Anderson (March 21, 2017) as White Sox players to agree to multiyear deals with the club over the last four seasons.

“I want to thank the White Sox organization for the trust they are giving me,” said Moncada. “I am very happy and proud because it gives me the chance to secure my financial future and the future of my family, and it reinforces my commitment to the White Sox and their fans. I am going to keep working hard every day to represent this organization and to help, along with all the great talent that we have here, to win multiple championships.”

Moncada hit .315/.367/.548 (161-511) with 34 doubles, five triples, 25 home runs, 79 RBI, 83 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and a .915 OPS over 132 games in 2019. He finished third in the American League in average behind batting champion and teammate Tim Anderson (.335) and the Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu (.327).

Moncada ranked among the AL third basemen leaders in average (1st), on-base (2nd, .367) and slugging percentage (2nd), OPS (3rd), total bases (3rd, 280), extra-base hits (3rd, 64), hits (4th), doubles (4th), home runs (4th) and RBI (4th). His 25 home runs were the second-most by a switch-hitting third baseman.

Moncada was one of just three players in the majors last season to hit .300 or better with 30-plus doubles, 25-plus home runs, 75-plus RBI and 10-plus stolen bases, joining the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger and Arizona's Ketel Marté. He became just the fourth player (sixth time) in franchise history to record those numbers in a season, joining Alex Ríos (2012), Carlos Lee (2004) and Magglio Ordóñez (1999-2001). Moncada’s .080 average improvement from 2018 (.235) was the fourth-best in club history.

Moncada, a native of Cienfuegos, Cuba, has hit .266 (343-1,288) with 74 doubles, 13 triples, 50 homers, 162 RBI, 25 steals and a .799 OPS in 335 games over three seasons (2017-19) with the White Sox. He was acquired from Boston with right-hander Michael Kopech and two minor-leaguers in exchange for left-hander Chris Sale on December 6, 2016.