As a new era of Chicago White Sox baseball dawns, the front office has chosen to leave one of its faces of the franchise in the rearview mirror.

The White Sox did not exercise their $25 million club option on third baseman Yoan Moncada, Francis Romero reported Thursday afternoon. Moncada, who is now due to get a $5 million buyout, will now become a free agent and can sign with another team as early as November 4.

Moncada signed a five-year, $70 million contract extension with the White Sox following the 2019 season.

The 29-year-old infielder was once considered a key member of the White Sox core, given that he was the centerpiece they acquired when they traded ace Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox in 2016. Moncada quickly became a consensus player. -five baseball prospects.

Moncada hit .315 with 25 homers, 79 RBIs, a .915 OPS and a 5.2 WAR in 2019, finishing 21st in AL MVP voting. But instead of continuing to live up to the hype, this is where Moncada hit his peak.

Since signing his extension, Moncada has averaged 17 home runs, 71 RBIs and a 2.6 WAR, all while hitting .244 with a .721 OPS.

This decline also aligns with Moncada’s inability to stay on the field. After playing in 86.1% of the White Sox games from 2017-2021, he has only appeared in 42.8% of their games since.

Last season, Moncada was limited to 12 games due to a left adductor strain. He was healthy enough to return for a big league at-bat in September, but that’s all he was able to contribute down the stretch.

It’s not like the White Sox would have been much better with Moncada, considering they posted a historically poor record of 41-121. They fired manager Pedro Grifol in August and have since replaced him with Texas Rangers associate manager Will Venable.

Moncada won’t be on Venable’s roster in 2025 unless Chicago decides to welcome him back in a more team-friendly prove-it deal.

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