White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada has changed representation and is now a client of Movement Management Group, as agent Alex Cotto posted on Instagram (hat tip to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN).
Still just 24 years old, Moncada already has one lucrative payday under his belt. The Cuba native joined the Red Sox on a $31.5MM signing bonus in March 2015. Moncada changed Sox shortly after when Boston traded him to Chicago in a blockbuster centered on left-hander Chris Sale in December 2016.
It took a little while for Moncada to live up to the considerable hype he generated as a prospect, but he now looks like one of the most valuable players in the game. He broke out last year, his first full season at third after moving from second, slashing .315/.367/.548 with 25 home runs and 10 stole bases over 559 plate appearances. Just 14 position players outdid Moncada’s 5.7 fWAR.
Judging by their aggressive moves this offseason, the long-struggling White Sox expect to contend for a playoff berth in 2020. Moncada’s a key piece of that puzzle, and with that in mind, he’s someone they could try to extend. No matter what, he’s in line to remain one of their most integral players for the foreseeable future. The switch-hitter still has another pre-arbitration campaign left and won’t become eligible to reach free agency until after the 2023 campaign.
Moncada’s change in representation will be reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains agent info on thousands of Major League and Minor League players. If you see any errors or omissions within, please let us know: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
Dude’s a stud
Get all the money you want Moncada, you deserve it.
I hope he has a great career. The trade with the Red Sox was a true win-win.
“Kiley McDaniel of ESPN” looks so weird
Really hope the sox ink him and Giolito to extensions soon
Agree
They probably will but they’ll need to trade them halfway through since they wont be a .500 for at least 2 seasons. Most of their deal this winter will be sold off in two years. Keuchel and Grandal for sure. Abreu will be tougher to trade. Since he’s 33.
Nope
Can I have some of whatever it is you’re smoking?
Wrek is the biggest Cubs’ homer I’ve ever seen. Hates all things White Sox, thinks the Cubs are destined for the playoffs no matter how bad last year was or how little they’ve done to improve in the off-season. Probably even thinks the Cubs have a top 10 farm system.
Good comment. The Sox and fans believed in both of these guys when others have not. They also love this team, the players and fans, so IF they continue to do well, they have a home. That said, neither player will become an UFA until 2024, so we have plenty of time. Go Sox!
I still say mongarbage and kopech were not worth trading away Sale. Hopefully they trade both players by the trade deadline this year.
Why even comment? Just dumb
Not really.
Yes, really. Go to bed.
They weren’t going to win with Sale. So they either lose him for just a draft pick or get Moncada, Kopech, and more that they can use when they have a chance to win. Seriously, in what universe would keeping Sale have been a good idea?
@hyraxwithaflamethrower
I’m guessing he was trying to poke the hornet’s nest with that comment, based on “mongarbage”. It’s sad that people like him love to instigate.
And you are correct, it would’ve been silly to keep Sale all these years and waste his talents on a mediocre team. Hahn made the right move with that trade.
mrf0225 is a cvbs fan.
Agree 100% It was a great trade for both teams, but I have a feeling that Boston may have blown it with a 5 year deal because Chris’ 2 main problems are his emotions and body durability, not his talent.
That’s not even an interesting troll comments. Try harder next time.
According to urban dictionary: Mongarbage is slang for taking home a date and finding out he/she is a homeless person the next day after you’ve been robbed.
Many a Cub fan knows this to be true.
I see what you did there. Took the prefix of his name and then added garbage. So clever. Do more!
It will be funny when he’s up for free agency and either the Red Sox or the Yankees sign him
Hee hee hee so funny. Hee.
LOL. In 2023? If they do, then we let hem go.
Sox already starting to have players hire agencies to get them out of the Southside lol. GO Cubs!!
lol that’s funny cause all the Sox young players seem to be signing contracts
While the cubs have signed……. wait for it 0 of theirs And just had one file a grievance against them
that’s not how it works
Where are the intelligent cvbs fans hiding?
That’s an oxymoron.
With P & C reporting today and OD 6 weeks from tomorrow, baseball fever is kicking in. This is how I see the OD roster looking, barring any trades or significant injuries (and assuming Madrigal doesn’t get extended before OD):
C Grandal (BENCH McCann & Collins)
1B Abreu
2B Mendick/Leury
SS TA
3B Yoan
LF Eloy
CF Robert
RF Mazara
DH EE
Defensive replacement OF Engel
Rotation, safely assuming Kopech doesn’t crack OD roster (no order):
Giolito
Cease
Lopez
Keuchel (L)
Gonzalez (L)
Bullpen (no order):
Colome (Closer)
Bummer (L)
Fry (L)
Chisek
Herrera
Marshall
Cordero
Fulmer
This could definitely change if someone like, say, Guerrero or Ruiz catches fire in ST and Fulmer (or maybe Cordero) looks horrible in ST. But I’m guessing Fulmer makes it because he’s the long man/spot starter in the pen. Plus, they’re giving him that one last chance to show something. He’ll be on a short leash, especially since Kopech shouldn’t be down too long in AAA. Fulmer’s the 26th man on the roster (well, him or Engel).
I hope these next 6 weeks fly by.
There is no reason to carry Collins on the bench if you see him as a future backup.
He will never get any reps behind the plate, and probably won’t get many at bats.
That’s why I’m still in favor of getting a guy like Puig on a one year deal to platoon with Mazara and spell Jimenez.
Or, they can stop playing games and just add Madrigal to opening FB day roster.
That’d be fantastic if they could convince him to take a bench/platoon role, but I highly doubt he’d be interested at this point. And anything less than a 100% engaged Puig is a pass for me.
Maybe he’ll get more desperate as ST starts and be open to the idea. We’ll see.
@maximumvelocity
This is how I see it assuming no more moves. Any move, even extending Madrigal, would most likely push Collins to AAA (assuming no significant injuries).
This is why I wasn’t all that excited about getting EE. I was hoping Collins was going to take a good portion of the DH duties and be Abreu’s backup. Now if EE does well this year, great. If it were up to me, I would’ve passed on EE and put Collins at DH. But Hahn didn’t ask for my opinion. I’ll definitely root for EE now that the Sox have him, I just wouldn’t have went that route if I were GM. Now I’d send Collins back to AAA instead of having him rot on the bench in Chicago. So in that sense, I agree with you.
At this point, I’d rather bring on Puig and have him platoon than to have Collins rot on the bench. I’d have Puig on a very short leash in case he becomes a team distraction.
Puig can be difficult in the clubhouse as it is. I don’t think he would work well as a part-time player.
@JKurd
True, but if he wants to stay employed in MLB, he may be forced to take a platoon role. Whether the Sox sign him or pass on him, I’m fine either way. But I wouldn’t throw too much money at him, because I would be quick to swing the axe if he became a problem child. If he comes cheap enough, I’d consider taking a gamble on him.
Puig is a cancer. A very talented cancer, but a cancer nonetheless.
Fulmer is out of options. If he doesn’t make the 26 man roster (or try to send him down at any time) they have to expose him to waivers and he probably would not clear them.
@MikeS2
Absolutely you’re correct. That’s why Hahn is going to make sure Fulmer’s worn out his welcome with his play before getting rid of him (by exposing him to waivers). Yes, there’s no way he makes it through waivers–he’s an ideal dumpster dive, especially for the laughing stocks in full rebuild mode.
I’m hoping for Cordero to have a good season, and if Fulmer is going to pass through the invisible wall it’s now, it has to be now.
Don’t know if I’m reading too much into it (or it’s wishful thinking on my part), but I’m wondering if he changed agencies because Hahn’s already come to him with a contract proposal. I really do hope they lock him up soon. I’d rather they sign him in the $100MM to $150MM range than $200MM to $300MM range, or however the numbers pan out (you get the idea).
@83Sox
I’m sure He’d rather sign for $300MM to $420MM range, hence the new agency.
@stymeedone
I’m sure he would too. I’m sure any player would.
My point is extending him this year is their best chance of keeping him at a relatively affordable cost per year, and gaining 2 or even 3 more years of control over him. He’s under control through ’23, an extension could get him signed through ’25, even ’26. Having Yoan, Eloy, and Robert all locked up through ’25 or ’26 could make a very nice nucleus (all depending on if Eloy and Robert pan out).
Before Moncada can play for $200MM+ I think he needs to show he can walk more. I know he can do it. From the left side, I can’t see any pitcher throwing a get me over strike to him.
The White Sox must sign Moncada to long term deal like they did for Eloy and Roberts, I will be shocked if they didn’t.
I’m sure they’ll TRY. Whether or not he agrees is another story. He’s got $31.5M in the bank (metaphorically – he paid agent’s fees, taxes, etc) so he doesn’t need to sign and a 5 win season on his resume so he will cost more than Robert or Jimenez.
so does the White Sox window close in 2024? Better get moving.
@stymeedone
Why would you think it closes in ’24?
I can’t see any window closing at all with all the talent we have coming up. If anything, there’s too much.
There’s no such thing as too much talent, first of all. Second, they don’t have that much more coming up. Once Robert, Madrigal, and Kopech graduate from prospect status, the Sox’ farm consists of Vaughn and ….? It’s possible Rutherford, Stiever, Dunning, or someone else makes a nice step forward, but they’ll have no top 100 prospects outside of Vaughn within a few weeks of Kopech joining the team. Their farm will probably then be around #20 in baseball.
Also, all windows close unless you have limitless pockets like the Yankees and Dodgers. Even Robert and Eloy will be FA’s by the end of the decade. With them as a nucleus, the window could potentially be long, but they’ll need to start making moves to replace people around 2023 or 2024 to keep it going.
I get that most of our rated farm is coming up this year and next, but there are tons of guys in this system that look like upside is a matter of a year or two as well. I think we have half of our 2023-24 replacements coming from within and that’s not even including the next 3 drafts. I’m honestly surprised we didn’t trade more young talent this off-season. Hahn’s plan is working like a McClaren Engine right now.
Honestly, I was upset about the Mazara trade. Maybe he has potential, but it’s been 4 years. Even if they tap into it, he only has 2 years left before FA. Walker may not be an amazing prospect, but why trade a prospect at all when they could have just bought someone with a similarly bad glove and a proven well-above-average bat in Castellanos and had him for 4 years? If they end up trading some of their excess pitching or OF guys for a veteran to fill a hole and be the final piece, I can live with that, but I think it was a year too early and certainly for the wrong guy.
Agree on the rebuild overall, though. This will be a fun year and next year should be even better.
Agree. Mazara is one of those guys I hope fits in and establishes himself with this younger squad. Could be a chemistry thing not working not for him in Texas. Question is if he does up his game, do we keep him 2 years from now? Could be a fix and flip.
@hyraxwithaflamethrower
@Rallyshirt
Yes, I wasn’t crazy about Mazara either, especially after Hahn was looking for his platoon partner not long after the trade. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, especially when he has to shell out almost $6MM on him.
Walker wasn’t a huge loss, but yes, he could’ve sweetened the pot a little in a future trade. They don’t have a lot to offer in prospects outside of their top prospects, and Dunning isn’t really tradable until he proves his arm is good again.
I probably wouldn’t have traded for him, but I’m just an armchair GM. Or at least I would’ve done the trade while they were still in full rebuild mode, not now. Hopefully Mazara proves me wrong. I will gladly take egg on my face in this instance.
Scariest thing about Moncada and I believe Eloy too, is bringing in Encarnacion and Grandal. I mean, with Abreu, that’s our 2Thru6. There’s no escape from this. There’s no place for any pitcher out there to hide. Twins are not sleeping.
HR record?
Just glad he did not go to bora$$