Arbitration Eligibles: Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are next in our 2013 Arbitration Eligibles series. Matt Swartz's salary projections are below.

• First time: Gordon Beckham ($3.1MM), Alejandro De Aza ($1.7MM), Dan Johnson ($1.2MM), Philip Humber ($1.1MM)

Chicago’s class of arbitration eligible players consists of four first timers, two of whom project as non-tender candidates.

Humber’s season began with a perfect game, but it could end with a non-tender. He projects to earn more than $1MM and could be released given his 2012 production. Not only did he miss time with a strained elbow, he struggled for much of the season and finished the year with a 6.44 ERA and 23 home runs allowed in 102 innings.

Johnson appeared in 14 games with the White Sox once rosters expanded in September, but he doesn't appear to have a significant role on next year's White Sox team. He, too, could lose his roster spot on or before the November 30th deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players.

Beckham has been a fixture in Chicago's lineup since 2009, and he has some power, so he projects to earn north of $3MM as a first time eligible player. While his 2012 numbers are nothing extraordinary, he has a long track record at the MLB level that will help his case.

De Aza, on the other hand, picked up 60% of his career plate appearances this past season. He doesn't have the career bulk to match Beckham's projected salary, but he'll still earn a substantial raise — expect a salary in the $1.7MM range for the center fielder.

If the White Sox tender contracts to only Beckham and De Aza, they'll be looking at an estimated total just shy of $5MM for the two players. That total could rise if the White Sox choose to retain Johnson and Humber, but even then it won’t climb by much.

Matt Swartz's arbitration projections are available exclusively at MLB Trade Rumors. To read more about his projection model, check out this series of posts.