The White Sox have requested unconditional release waivers on first baseman/designated hitter Yonder Alonso, according to a club announcement. He’ll formally become a free agent once he clears waivers on Friday. A team could technically claim Alonso, but doing so would mean claiming the remaining $4.83MM still owed to him, which won’t happen given the former All-Star’s considerable struggles in Chicago.
Alonso, 32, was acquired partly because the Sox envisioned him to be a productive partner for Jose Abreu in a first base/DH timeshare but also likely as a means of enticing his brother-in-law, Manny Machado to choose the Sox in free agency. Neither of those things came to fruition, however. In 251 plate appearances this season, Alonso has floundered at .178/.275/.301 pace with seven home runs.
Alonso is still not far removed from an All-Star appearance in a 2017 season that saw him emerge as one of the poster boys for MLB’s “fly-ball revolution.” The former No. 7 overall draft pick (Reds, 2008) put a focus on elevating the ball with the A’s that season and saw his fly-ball rate jump nearly 20 percent from his 2015 levels with the Padres. He raked at a .266/.369/.527 clip with Oakland before being traded to the Mariners. His fly-ball rate, launch angle and average exit velocity have steadily trickled downward since that strong 2017 campaign, however.
Once he clears waivers, Alonso will be free to sign with any club and would only be owed the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time spent in the Majors, with the Sox on the hook for the remainder of this season’s salary. Disappointing as his tenure on the South Side of Chicago was, Alonso will likely find interest elsewhere given his solid track record (although he may need to settle for a minor league contract).
Good riddance
He’ll sign with the Red Sox and have a .800+ OPS the rest of the season.
So does that mean the White Sox are out on Machado?
No, he’s still available. Jeez
comment of the day
I think that ship sailed…..
Better off without Machado. Reload this off season and make a run for Anthony Rendon if he’s available in free agency. Absolutely resign Abreu. Yoan would need to move back to 2nd But a starting infield of Rendon, Anderson, Moncada and Abreu would be fearsome.
I think the White Sox would be better off just having Madrigal playing 2nd and then make a run at Cole and bringing back Quintana who had lots of success there.
It doesn’t make sense to bring in Rendon when Moncada is playing the same position and doing a good job. The Sox need a pitcher in the rotation.
Agreed
24thekid,
Machado signed a huge contract that was for multiple years with San Diego! I would say yes the White Sox are out on Machado!
Whoosh.
Thanks.
#waltered
I heard that the two sides are close and a deal is imminent. Congrats on the Whitesox landing Machado.
So I just want to clarify, 1st paragraph says the claiming club would have pay his full salary. But the last paragraph says they only have to pay the prorated league minimum. I assume the league minimum is the correct part? No way do the Sox get out of that contract.
if he is claimed while on waivers the new club would owe him the remainder of his contract. if he goes unclaimed and becomes a free agent a new club would only have to sign him for the league minimum
If a team had claimed him off of waivers they would have had to pay the full salary. Since he cleared waivers and was released he’s now available at the minimum salary
If he’s claimed, that team assumes his contract and keeps paying him according to the terms of the deal. But since he definitely won’t be claimed, none of the other teams will assume what’s left on that contract and the White Sox will be responsible for it.
In that case, any team that signs him would pay a prorated portion of the league minimum for any time he spends in the majors this year, and that would be subtracted from what the White Sox still owe him. Then Chicago pays the rest.
If a club claims him on waivers the White Sox are off the hook. If he clears waivers and becomes a free agent and then signs with a team, the new team only owes him a prorated portion of a minimum deal, with the Sox owing him the rest.
If claimed, the claiming team takes on the remainder of his salary. If signed after clearing waivers, the signing team only has to pay him the prorated league minimum.
Did you get that, nats?
Hahaha, thats what I was thinking
I think I need it one more time.
^^Obligatory “that’s what she said”
So if was claimed 1st, it would have been the whole contract.
Maybe.
The Mets should really consider reuniting the Alonso brothers. Jus sayin…
“what do you mean your not brothers?” – BVW
And then the Padres sign him and trade for Jon Jay. In no way saying it will happen but it would be real funny if it did.
Now hopefully Castillo is next!
I think Castillo saw his last days in a White Sox uniform.
Nope. Collins isn’t ready and there’s a big bum in town by the name of Palka the .049 king.
Great signing by Hahn! At least it helped them get Machado.
Didn’t sign him. Good try though.
Pretty sure that was sarcasm…
Sarcasm alert!
Alonzo was acquired in a trade from the Indians, not signed as a free agent.
This will not make Machado happy. Maybe Hahn will extend Jon Jay to make up for it.
Cease put up a good fight today, has a great attitude, is a welcome and exciting player on the White Sox.
Yes he did. Thanks Cubs!
I was very impressed with Cease getting his head together after that first inning. Come on, Cease was pitching in his first MLB game so the emotions were pouring all over his head.
Walking out after the 5th, he nodded like, “Okay, I’m ready now.”
Then tonight! OMG
Bryzzo2016: I have a better idea. What the Cubs are doing lately is not making Theo Epstein very happy these days (link to mlb.com). Maybe his next move will be to reacquire Jon Jay from the White Sox to help spark their inconsistent batting order.
Perhaps White Sox GM Rick Hahn would consider taking Jason Heyward off the Cubs hands for Jay along with about $43M in cash to pay down half of his remaining salary. The Cubs could get a cheap top of the order bat to help confuse “Genius” Joe Maddon even more with his lineups. Theo could then take the other $43M they would no longer be obligated to pay J-Hey and waste it on some other FA next offseason as he has been prone to do lately.
Meanwhile the White Sox could fill their RF void for the next 4+ years with a needed left-handed bat who would also provide Gold Glove defense and some additional veteran leadership for their talented young core going forward. The White Sox would still have plenty of cash to extend two other veterans in 1B/DH Jose Abreu and C James McCann to remain part of their core for the 4-5 years along with Heyward. Those 3 veterans would help lead the White Sox to the promised land while also filling the final 3 pieces in their future starting lineup:
C-James McCann
1B-Andrew Vaughn
2B-Nick Madrigal
SS-Tim Anderson
3B-Yoan Moncada
LF-Eloy Jimenez
CF-Luis Robert
RF-Jason Heyward
One more veteran starter, preferably a southpaw like potential FA Dallas Keuchel or Jose Quintana, could help anchor a young power rotation and complete the task.
Call up Palka
Daniel Palka was already recalled from AAA Charlotte on June 28th when Yonder Alonzo was first DFA’d by the White Sox.
Unfortunately, Palka’s bat has remained as impotent as it was when he opened the 2019 as the White Sox primary RF and optined back to AAA on April 18th. He was slashing .029/.190/.o29 with 1 hit in 42 PA’s when demoted in April and has managed to go hitless in 7 PA’s since his return last week.
Adding in Zack Collins 1 for 19 effort since his MLB debut on June 19th doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the White Sox middle of the order left-handed bats in 2019. At least Alonzo hit 7 HR’s and drew 29 walks before his DFA. Collins one hit was also a 3-run bomb to help win a game in Texas and he has also drawn 4 BB’s as well. Still in all, the output from all 3 to this point has been nothing short of abysmal.
Why? So Palka can hit .149 while striking out 200 times?
I rather Palka do that then Alonso.
I would rather have the pitcher hit, then an old Alonzo or a Class A talent Palka. Palkas true position is bat boy. He can’t field, throw or hit a baseball. Alfonzo is a better hitter then Palka. So is Cease, Giolito and Colome for instance. Hell have Renteria hit. Probably hit better then a .049 hitter.
Sox will sign Big Bro Tatis when he hits FA
He can play with Lil Bro Tatis.
The Padres should pick him up! Then they’ll be a lock for Machado!
Always a bit of the tinfoil hat in my when it comes to cases like Yonder’s. There seem to be certain teams that have a habit of bringing in hitters cheap, who then have career years for them — or a couple years, or a half-year — only to say goodbye right before they turn back into pumpkins. A’s and Dodgers come to mind, Giants in the day.. Briefly, I always wonder if there’s anything going on in those places that’s not kosher …
Voodoo?
If it were kosher, then Kabbalah might be more responsible than Voodoo. Perhaps Madonna can unravel the mystery and compose a song about it as well.
If the Giants do trade Belt he could be a good replacement so Tyler Austin can stay in the outfield
Another great trade by Cleveland this past offseason that deserves credit. 😉
CLE saw the writing on the wall with Alonso last year and basically replaced him with Carlos Santana (whom Alonso replaced after 2017). Looks like Alonso will join the other dozen or so unemployed 1B/DH types at the union hall this winter waiting in vain for opportunity to call.
This was the price to pay to bring Manchado to the White Sox. It was a blessing in disguise that Manchado chose to play in a San Diego rather than in Chicago. Let’s just the White Sox took a low risk with obtaining Alonso since there was that option if he had so many plate appearances where he would have been here for one more year and now that has become something not worry about for next year.
I agree! Well said.
I wanted Harper here since guys like Eloy to Moncada and Anderson could have benefitted with having him in the line up but the White Sox are more giving young guys the money. Hahn’s track records indicates this with the contracts he gave out in the last few years.
Here is my guess what the Sox’s plans are for next year. Hahn will extend Abreu for three to four years so he can retire in a White Sox uniform. With the White Sox having Abreu in the line up, another Cuban player like Robert will strive off of Abreu being there in the line up. Robert will be in the line up in 2020. Plus, the Sox will be players in the offseason either via trade or signing for a pitcher in that rotation. Personally, I say bring in Schrezer depending on the asking price for him.
Gerrit Cole. Sox have bags of money to spend this offseason
What’s the excuse gonna be when they miss out on him too?
There will be no excuses! The White Sox organization’s mentality has been different since Hahn took over after 2013. He has done everything he said he was going to do with rebuilding the system to international signings.
Even if they do miss a big signing, so what?
Kopech, Giolito, Rodon, Lopez, Cease
Garcia, Moncada, Abreu, McCann, Jimenez, Anderson, Robert, Collins, Madrigal, Sanchez, and likely Vaughn.
BOOM!
Well played, Rallyshirt. Well played indeed.
@pinstripes17
I’m amazed a Yankees troll would even care about anything the White Sox do.
Yet, here you are.
And I know you comment on White Sox message boards pretty frequently because I presented you with the Idiotic Comment of the Day a week or two ago.
Steve,
Just asking but is hitting .266 considered “raking” especially when the balance of his stats don’t exactly overwhelm either?
Maybe I’ve got it wrong, but I thought raking was a term used for excellence not just league/above league average!
.900 ops, especially in that ballpark, is raking. BA doesn’t show “raking”
I would like to know what Jon Jay does behind closed doors to keep getting jobs in this league?
@Nick Stevens
I wasn’t all that crazy about Jay ever being in a Sox lineup, but I have to ask. Why you do hate this guy so much? Sure, he’s never going to be confused for Trout or Yelich, but the Sox have had a lot worse in their lineup the last few (or, shall I say, several) years.
I got a great idea for RF. We’ll just bring Jermaine Dye out of retirement.
Please Padres sign him back! Then put him at catcher or CF.
Really? We are talking about Yonder Alonso, right?
He doesn’t quite have the speed or glove for a CF (LOL) and I’m pretty sure he’s never played C in any level in his major/minor league career. At best, he would be a PH or 1B to spell Hosmer.
Then, there’s the idea of him going from a hitter’s paradise to one of the worst stadiums in MLB for a hitter, especially seeing the poor numbers he had in said hitter’s paradise.
Are you sure you want him on your team?