12:24pm: Tilson has elected free agency, James Fegan of The Athletic tweets.
8:11am: White Sox outfielder Charlie Tilson was outrighted off the team’s 40-man roster yesterday, per the transactions log at MLB.com. Tilson has previously been outrighted, so he’ll have the option to declare free agency and see what the market holds for him this winter.
The writing was likely on the wall for Tilson when he didn’t receive a September call-up despite a healthy finish to the season in Triple-A. Tilson appeared in 54 games with the ChiSox in 2019, hitting .229/.293/.285 with a homer and five doubles in 157 plate appearances, but he spent most of the year with Triple-A Charlotte, where he batted .288/.345/.398 in 257 trips to the plate.
At the time of his acquisition from the Cardinals — Chicago traded Zach Duke to St. Louis for him back in 2016 — Tilson was viewed as an elite runner and a potential top-of-the-order. But Tilson tore his hamstring in his MLB debut just days after being acquired by the White Sox and missed the rest of the season after undergoing surgery. He then missed the entire 2017 campaign with a stress reaction in his foot that kept him in a walking boot for a notable portion of the season.
Since that pair of leg injuries, Tilson, who swiped 46 bases as a 22-year-old in Double-A in 2015, has tallied just 20 steals (in 28 attempts) across 223 games between Triple-A and the Majors. And in 278 Major League plate appearances since returning, he’s mustered a tepid .244/.309/.288 slash line. He still drew above-average defensive marks in a tiny sample of work in center field this season, though those same metrics panned his work in right field (again, in a minuscule sample). If and when Tilson does become a free agent, he’ll likely land a minor league deal and compete for a roster spot in Spring Training with a club next season.
Just a friendly point-out for you Steve:
“Tilson was viewed as an elite runner and a potential top-of-the-order. But Tilson”
Top of the order what?
generally those with speed and a decent base-hit bat are considered top-of-the-order candidates.
Tilson served his purpose. He helped the White Sox tank, and his hustle helped keep down the fans discontent.
True enough, when Charlie “Hustle” Tilson finally had an opportunity to play with the White Sox because of his assorted injuries following that 2016 deadline trade with the Cardinals. Another thing Tilson had going for him with southside fans was that he was a local kid from the northern suburbs who actually grew up being a White Sox fan and not a Cubs supporter.
Depending on what transpires this offseason with Chicago outfielders, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tilson return to the White Sox or sign with the Cubs as a minor league free agent who can be stashed away in AAA as an insurance policy or potentially even break spring camp as a 4th or 5th outfielder with active rosters expanding to 26 next year.
An insurance policy? For what? In case they decide to tank the season? Over half the Chisox roster fits that description. They have a long way to go, just to get to 80 wins.
The Sox win 82 games with Kopech, Rondon, Robert, and Madrigal next year. If they add another quality starter and RF with some pop, sky’s the limit next year. They’re close, but they’ve been close before and failed due to spending limits imposed by the chairman.
Madrigal will be Ronald Torreyes ‘light’.
Torreyes hits like you do.
@Dogbone
Ok, I’ll bite.
The Sox will probably get to 80 wins with minimal improvement from the outside. They have Robert and Madrigal coming up Opening Day or late April, Kopech coming back from TJ, and Eloy and Cease improving upon their rookie seasons. All they need to do is improve 8 games upon this season to reach 80 wins, and in by far the worst division in MLB, it can definitely be done.
It’s funny because you were on one of our message boards not too long ago trolling about how we Sox fans would celebrate reaching the great milestone of 70 wins next year. Looks like they were a year early on that one.
I gotta admit, you have stones coming on here trolling us Sox fans after the epic choke this season. And there’s no way you can put a positive spin on that. They should’ve ran away with the Central. But I guess if playing meaningful Sept games is good enough for you, then congrats. Otherwise you look like a fool trolling us Sox fans after this year’s choke, couple with last year’s double choke in game 163 & the WC.
No disrespect to legit Cub fans on here. Just giving Dogbone the medicine he richly deserves after trolling us Sox fans all season. Legit Cub fans deserve the ’16 WS ring, trolls like Dogbone deserve the 100-year drought.
Whew! I thought for sure you were going to say that Nick Madrigal would be the next Darwin Barney.
I remember when the Cubs
tanked from 2010 to 2014 to get high draft to rebuild their farm and get high draft picks yet Cubs’ fans forget that. The difference with the White Sox and Cubs is the White Sox are actually developing these players before bringing them up really quick.
Rondon?
The rebuild started when they hired Theo in Nov 2011. They were playing around .500 ball by the second half of 2014. That’s pretty quick concerning what happened the following years.
The Sox are at the three year mark on their rebuild. The AL Central is weak. With a good offseason, they should be competing for the division in 2020.
Further proof that highly thought of prospects don’t always pan out.
He doesn’t even have 300 big league at-bats. Not saying he has the makings of a star, but there’s a laundry list of great players who would have looked terrible in that small of a sample size early in their careers.
While i tend to agree with you there, it’s a bit more telling in this case given his second outright off the 40 and his age. If he were 21 and never having been outrighted, then i would dismiss it more in line with youth.
He was viewed as the entire top of the order.
The White Sox are loaded with 4th outfielders.
Wait ’til Robert comes up. You won’t consider him that.
When Robert comes up, they will especially be loaded with 4th outfielders in the minors.
Only one with any realistic hope of becoming a regular is Steele Walker, and he’s been stuck behind the logjam of mediocrity clogging AAA and AA.
How many more regular outfielders will they need to produce to play along side Robert and Jimenez?
Not the point.
Teams with depth in minors have ability to make deals that can improve the roster.
Houston had so much depth, they were able to trade for Verlander and Cole, without giving up and core talent. The Rays have also made a number of deals.
Well the difference is that when they traded for Verlander and Cole, they weren’t thought of like they’re pitching now. They’ve made these guys the best pitchers of their careers.
I hope Cordell is next.
In any case, this is a demonstration of how ineffective the smaller deals associated with the rebuild have been.
Outside of the three major trades, the team will be lucky to get even a backup or mid-inning reliever out of trades related to Frazier/Robertson and the host of relievers dealt.
The depth the rebuild was supposed to bring hasn’t panned out, and it’s hurting the teams chances of making major deals.
The Sox rebuild did a fine job gettng starting players. Not every prospect is expected to pan out, and those “star players for multiple prospects” deals are very often imbalanced in favor of the team getting the proven star. But the White Sox have received Moncada, Kopech Giolito, Jimenez, Lopez and Cease and still have a few others like Dunning and Basabe who might at the very least be minimum wage Major Leaguers who free up more cash for the roster. That’s an impressive haul, and much better than what the Marlins got for trading back-to-back NL MVP’s..
That’s debatable.
For all the success of the core, they still ranked In the bottom four in run prevention, and next to last in runs scored.
Without an additional infusion of talent, this team will just resemble the studs and duds teams before the rebuild.
Tilson wasn’t going to be a major piece. He was always a 4th outfielder who maybe, just maybe, could have started for 3 months and not embarrass himself.
While the injury was a horrible blow to his career, I think the play where he collided with Jimenez and sent Eloy to the DL for a stint signed his pink slip.
What was the point of Jon Jay if they didn’t trade him at the deadline? The rebuild has wasted at-bats during these lean years on people like Yonder Alonso, Jon Jay, etc. when we could have seen what some of these younger guys can do. Now you’re dropping Tilson after 280 career PA’s.
Not sure what you’re talking about. No at-bats have been wasted,.
Lol. If your team is rebuilding and you expect to lose, what is the point of a Jon Jay?
Think about it some more. You’ll answer your own question without embarrassing yourself.
Embarrassing myself? Lol. Could you be any more dramatic? You sound like a Cubs fan.
They brought in a veteran who could cover all three outfield spots, and had a history of higher OBP. He was injured a lot, and when the FO didn’t get any interest in him, they chose to keep a competent OF in right instead of running Palka out there. I don’t understand the confusion.
They have redundancy in Engel, Leury, Cordell, Tilson, Booker, Basabe. They also have a 40-man crunch coming this winter, and are going to have to create space to protect some of these minor leaguers.
I think Tilson damned himself when colliding with and injuring Eloy. If he can’t direct traffic adequately, he has no value.
Absolutely. Of course this also happened with the intention of signing Jon Jay’s pal Manny Machado last offseason. If the White Sox would have pursued a better organizational fit in high OPS RF Bryce Harper last winter chances are Jay would have played elsewhere in 2019.
As it turns out, one of the White Sox top priorities this offseason will be to add a solid left-handed bat to a batting order that leans heavily right-handed and most likely that player will be their next right fielder. The offseason free agent options this winter are poor which means the White Sox might have to pursue a trade or settle on a right-handed bat like Yasiel Puig, that or wait until Mookie Betts hits the FA market next offseason.
I’m guessing the White Sox will do something this winter, be it a trade for someone like Alex Verdugo of the Dodgers or sign Puig who might be a good risk with Jose Abreu returning as a big brother influence. The White Sox can continue their tradition of stockpiling excellent Cuban talent while Puig would also have a chance to play alongside other 5-tool countryman like Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert.
Nice Aaron, you’re coming around to Yasiel Puig. I agree with your points, but there’s so much more:
1. He is a natural community activist working hospitals with kids, with all people really. He was late to a practice in LA because he bought everyone on the street a hot dog from a vendor. He’s the kind of guy Chicago needs.
2. He had a better Hollywood treatment than practically anyone. A producer’s dream. The video on this guy on and off the field is light-years ahead of a bunch of jocks standing around, not talking, like at most events. This character influence shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated.
3. The closest he’s come to a team with a high Latin contingent is the Indians only a few months ago. Happens to be his introduction to the AL and Central pitchers he’ll face.
they didn’t expect him to miss most of the year.
The whining by supposed SOX fans is unbelievable quit your crying and let this thing play out
Yap – you have Robert, Madrigal, and Collins for next year. Steiver, Walker, and Adalfo coming. Vaughn not far behind. Plus the 11th pick in a very deep draft.
Like Hahn to get a couple of solid bullpen arms and a power hitter who can Outfield
Not happy about the 11th pick.
Seems like Chicago-based pro teams always succumb to pressure and push to win meaningless games late in the season. Not only are they damaging their draft position, they’re gifting higher picks to other teams. Meanwhile, Detroit will draft 1st overall for the 2nd time in three years, and a top 5 pick for the 3rd consecutive year. I never hear anyone in the media complain about them. If the Sox actually want to find superstars, this ain’t the way to do it.
That said, the White Sox already have a lot of superstar potential in their organization including Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez on the active roster along with Luis Robert debuting next season. As for draft positioning, nobody is a bigger star in MLB than Mike Trout and he was the 25th pick in the first round of the 2009 June Draft. Even the Angels picked another player ahead of Trout that year, Randall Grichuk at #24. Meanwhile, the White Sox opted for Jared Mitchell at #23, passing on both. lol
@Aaron
@ChiSoxCity
And to add to that, Chris Sale did fall to the Sox at #13 in ’10, so there is still hope at #11. Last time the Sox picked #11, they picked Burger, which might have been a good pick had he not missed 2 full seasons with injuries. It possible Burger still contributes a few years from now once he’s fully healthy, but no one’s holding their breath.
To your point, ChiSoxCity, I also would’ve rather had them pick higher next year. Going back to the Burger pick, had they pick #10, they might’ve had Adell, which would’ve solved their RF problem. I don’t know if they would’ve picked him at #10, but he was there for the taking at #10.
We’ll find out in June whether or not it matters with them picking at #11 or if they blew a golden opportunity with a potentially better pick.
White Sox fans have waited 7 yrs for the team to be. 500. I think that we have been patient enough
Direct your angst towards Reinsdorf, and his poor track record with free agent acquisitions. The front office and roster are doing their part reasonably well so far.
You miss the main point on Reinsdork, he’s extremely cheap unless he can use taxpayer money. He won’t pay to supplement the rebuild, nor spend to establish a sound scouting dept.
You literally just re-stated what I already said about Reinsdorf. How did I miss the point. gtfoh clown.
@ChiSoxCity
It is Dogbone after all. Would you expect anything other than him ripping Reinsdorf for being cheap. It’s like Pavlov’s dog every time Dogbone sees Reinsdorf’s name, he feels the need to rehash the same weak post about Reinsdorf being cheap, right on cue.
Reinsdorf’s not cheap, has earned a reputation for being frugal. The Sox have wasted a lot of money on mediocre players over the years. In any enterprise, wasted money means wasted opportunities.
Tilson’s career reads like a cautionary perversion of the Moonlight Graham story. After fulfilling his dream of a major league at bat (and getting a hit!), minutes later he suffers the debilitating injury that curtails his mlb tenure.
The Charlie Tilson outright is just the beginning of the annual removal of players from every team’s MLB 40-man reserve roster. Other will be gone shortly as pending free agents while organizations also had to add back players who finished the 2019 season on their 60-day IL lists. The White Sox and every other club will also have to make room for prospects they deem important enough to put on their 40-man rosters who would otherwise be eligible for December’s Rule 5 Draft. The White Sox will have to ponder over adding quite a few of their own prospects to their roster this offseason in addition to making room for other potential MLB free agents they might desire following the conclusion of the World Series.
The contract tender date for players not under multi-year deals is December 2nd this year and will include a number of arbitration eligible candidates who might be non-tendered. The White Sox will have a few of those to fret over including 2B Yolmer Sanchez who will be losing his starting gig to top prospect Nick Madrigal in 2020.
Sorry Charlie. New Trier High School still believes in you however. You’ll get another shot for sure.
He could go play for the Trevians again
why so much ire over Tilson? newsflash – every team has 4th OF types, but not all systems have Robert, Rutherford, Adalfo, Walker, etc.
2021 outfield Jimenez in LF. Robert in CF. Walker in RF.
The Sox have a several OF prospects buried in the minors. They should give them a shot in RF before they bring in someone like Puig.
None of the OF candidates are remotely close to contributing.
At some point, the team needs to stop rebuilding and make a move to be a contender.
That’s the whole point of the rebuild. Spending $95MM on marginal players to be a .500 team is not contending. That’s stagnation.
No. Stagnation is wasting the contracts for core players on the ML roster while you wait around hoping marginal players in your system turn out to be starters.
This year and the historically bad output they got from RF should tell you enough. You really want to repeat that?
You’re not making any sense.
There are three ways to build a winning team in baseball: 1) Buy talent via free agency, 2) Draft and develop talent via the farm system, 3) Trade for talent. We both know #1’s not much of an option for the White Sox (regularly outspent by Detroit despite the bigger market in Chicago). That leaves option #2 and #3. Those options take time in order to work properly. That time spent on acquiring and developing said talent, and then establishing depth so you have enough of it to trade some away, is why you need guys like Ivan Nova and Jon Jay—veterans on cheap, short term contracts. That’s it. There are no other options, at least, none that make sense. Get it?
The team offered Machado 250 million, and they would have had him if San Diego hadn’t come in the last minute. They have plenty of money to sign free agents, and they likely will.
Wait? Are you kidding? Who is your right fielder next year? Who is your DH? What are you doing with the rotation?
This team has more hold than they can deal with through prospects. Waiting just costs them time to take advantage of a competing window.
If Adolfo could ever stay healthy, I think he would’ve solved the RF problem. Now, I don’t see it happening. I would love to be wrong on this one.
Maybe Walker, maybe in ’21 depending on who the RF is in ’20.
I think (or hope) the Sox will go outside the team to get the RF in ’20, whether it’s Puig, Castellanos, Blackman, etc.
Yasiel Puig could at least play passable defense in RF and also possesses a cannon for an arm. A hard no to Nicholas Castellanos who is a butcher on defense wherever he plays. Another hard no to Charlie Blackmon who is not a free agent. In fact, Blackmon has 3 more years guaranteed with an AAV of at least $21M. He is 33 and a poor defensive outfielder. His offensive splits in Coors Field are also a concern. I’d take Puig if the White Sox can’t do better in the trade market. Castellanos and Blackmon would be a terrible burden in RF on rookie CF Luis Robert next season considering he will also have defensively challenged Eloy Jimenez flanking him in LF.
Btw: Another hard no to free agent OF Corey Dickerson. He is a below average outfielder with an arm only plays in LF where Jimenez is set for the next 8 years provided he doesn’t need to be moved to the DH role sooner.
@Aaron
My mistake, I meant Dickerson, not Blackmon. I don’t know why I got the players confused.
I was just listing the usual suspects. Actually, I have to agree with some of your other posts, I’d rather see the Sox trade for the RF, whether it’s Verdugo or whoever. Don’t know what it would ultimately take to pry him away, but I guess there’s one way to find out.
As a White Sox fan with some common sense, I realized when Hahn took over the position as the General Manager he inherited a mess! This mess consisted of a bad farm system to bad signings made by Kenny Williams. Hahn has been doing what he said he was going to do with fixing the farm system with trades to draft picks and international signings.
As far as I am concerned, the White Sox will be very active this off-season! We might see the White Sox sign a few players to making a trade or two. The money is there! It’s just the matter to who the White Sox are willing to dish it out to that can take the organization to the next step.
Premature trades can be disastrous for the Sox though. They don’t have a lot of depth in their farm system. If they empty out what little they have, it leaves them with few options in the near future to address other needs.
And in the seven years since taking over as GM, Hahn has drafted one positional player who is a regular starter, one starting pitcher and two players who have been serviceable in the bullpen. It’s past time to stop pinning the failures of this system on Kenny Williams.
@maximumvelocity
That’s a little misleading since we can’t really count the past 2 drafts with Madrigal and Vaughn, plus Burger and Burdi weren’t really his fault since both their careers have been injury-riddled.
That being said, it’s a very good point on your part. 4 starters in 5 drafts so far, not a great track record, and Rodon fell in his lap. His 3 big trades have saved him, in a very big way. Those 3 trades may ultimately make him a hero (only time will tell).
This Winter may very well be what defines Hahn as a GM. He doesn’t need to get all the finishing pieces this Winter, but he can’t sit on his hands or make a stupid move that actually sets back the rebuild. Extending Yoan, Gio, Robert, and even Madrigal will be a huge step in the right direction.
I am looking forward to what unfolds these next few months for the Sox.
Signing the youngsters is indeed more important than chasing over priced FA’s. signing FA and losing Moncada would spell disaster.
So Pre-Arbitration is effecting a lot of these players. I’m not sure I understand the principle of how this works. A player might have arbitration available? Assuming earning opportunity through performance, who makes the call?
@Rallyshirt
Extending guys like Yoan and Gio will be a lot more more affordable now than in 2 or 3 years from now, if they will even be able to extend them then. AAV is the key to the luxury tax situation. That’s why Eloy’s contract is even more crucial to the team.
I don’t know if JR would ever spend that much to ever have to worry about the tax threshold, but he was quite the spender with the Bulls back in the late 90’s, though on a much lesser scale. And yes, most of that was to MJ, but JR did spend the money necessary to finish with 6 rings.
Back to the Sox. Getting a couple extra years of control from Yoan and Gio would be huge for the Sox. It would make contending through ’26 easier for the Sox if 2 more valuable pieces are locked up until then.
As for Robert and Madrigal, look again at the importance of Eloy’s deal.
Yes, I was impressed by the ramp of Eloy’s contract. Might be a glass half full/empty thing to some, but I think it’s a great way to offer continued reward to athletes. I do see the long term value for us signing guys we’ve already invested quite a bit in already.
This is more of a noob question, since I’m paying closer attention than I have in the past. That, and I’m getting older.
Forgive me if I’m wrong about any of this, but this is what I’m thinking. Arbitration is like a “right” given to players to be paid more at certain stages of their term with the team based upon performance. But Pre-Arbitration, this I don’t understand? Is this a “right” to the player or is this a decision which needs to be made somehow, and who makes this decision?
@rallyshirt
Arbitration–in a nutshell, basically what you said. I wouldn’t word it exactly that way, but you have the general idea.
Pre-arbritration–the team can pay the player whatever they want to, and the player can do absolutely nothing about it. That’s why in general they are paid the minimum or barely above it.