The White Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve designated outfielder Adam Haseley for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to infielder Paul DeJong, whose previously reported one-year deal has now been confirmed by the team. Chicago’s 40-man roster remains at capacity.
Haseley, 27, was the eighth overall selection in the 2017 draft by the Phillies but hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations associated with that draft stock. He’s appeared in parts of five big league seasons — the past two with Chicago after coming over in a 2022 trade sending McKinley Moore to the Phils — but compiled a tepid .259/.319/.356 batting line in 419 career plate appearances. The bulk of his offensive production came during his 2019-20 run with the Phils; he’s struggled at the plate in three seasons since.
Haseley spent the bulk of the 2023 season with the White Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, where he posted a .264/.338/.386 batting line that checked in 17% worse than league average, by measure of wRC+. The speedy outfielder walked in 8.9% of his plate appearances, showed good bat-to-ball skills with a 16.6% strikeout rate and went 10-for-14 in stolen base attempts in his 72 games at that level.
While Haseley’s bat hasn’t been up to the MLB standard, he’s logged time at all three outfield positions in the big leagues and graded out as an above-average defender according to each of Defensive Runs Saved (11), Ultimate Zone Rating (3.6) and Outs Above Average (1). He’s had a particularly tough time against fellow lefties in his career (.243/.309/.297) but handled righties at a more passable .262/.320/.371 clip.
Because he’s out of minor league options, Haseley would’ve needed to crack the White Sox’ Opening Day roster or else eventually be designated for assignment, as he was today. Another club in search of a lefty bat with some speed and contact skills who can handle all three outfield spots could place a waiver claim or acquire him in a small trade, but Haseley’s lack of minor league options would put that new team in the same spot. Now that he’s been DFA, Haseley will either be traded, released or run through outright waivers within a week’s time. He cleared waivers this time a year ago and was assigned outright to Charlotte, and that prior outright assignment will give him the right to elect free agency if he goes unclaimed a second time.
I’m going to go out on a limb and call Haseley a 1st round bust.
At 27 years old, yeah that window has closed as far as expecting him to live up to the expectations.
It wouldn’t be a stretch, up to this point, to refer to the entire 2017 MLB draft as a bust.
Haseley did look like a major leaguer in his rookie season, but he’s since pooped the futon.
Remember when Brendan McKay was supposed to be Shohei
Ya for sure. I like Lange a lot but when a good reliever is arguably one of the top 5 guys to come out of the first round you know that it was a a horrible class.
Lots of injuries from that class. Jake Burger, Hunter Greene, Royce Lewis have all been good when healthy, but they’ve all missed a significant amount of time. But that’s about all that comes from the class.
I don’t think the 2017 draft was that bad. A lot of busts for sure but also some good players. Lewis unfortunately got injured a lot but when healthy he was really good so far (153 wrc+ in 70 mlb games). Hunter Greene has shown good potential too. Kyle Wright, Jake Burger, Shane Baz, tanner Houck and dl hall look like solid major leaguers.
Sure there are also Austin beck, keston hiura, Evan white, jo adell and Alex faedo who look like busts but overall I think it is a solid draft.
2018 though looks really bad, at the back end there are some guys who look solid (maclain, casas, naylor) but out of the entire top 20 only Rodriguez and Gorman look like good mlb players while singer,larnach, india and Adams could still be ok.
White Sox down a LHH OF? DBacks have a few of those 😉
I promise you, we don’t want Alek Thomas as a centerpiece in a Cease deal.
Jarren Duran?
I wasn’t proposing Alek Thomas necessarily; Thomas’s value is low since we’ve seen 813 PAs of 72 wRC+ offense. He’s still young, but potential only counts for so much with that kind of track record.
Since you seem to have some perspective on the Sox end that I don’t; I plugged the following trade into Baseball Trade Values and it came back equal (but obviously a Trade Value website isn’t reality)
DBacks receive SP Dylan Cease
White Sox receive OF Jake McCarthy, SP Ryne Nelson, and SS Jansel Luis.
Opinions on the framework?
Not a horrible first pass, but I wouldn’t do it if IM the Sox. Luis has potential, but is so far away he has to be considered a lotto ticket, the other two guys are mid 20s players who have shown to mainly be low ceiling guys (for various reasons). There just isn’t any potential impact player coming back unless one thinks Luis is that guy and I would never pin my hopes on an 18 year old
I like the framework, but I think Arizona has to throw in at least one more piece. There’s gonna be multiple teams going after Cease. That package should get him, but throwing another piece in would get him.
Throw in Dominic Fletcher?
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Another piece like Fletcher and I don’t know how the White Sox say no. Or find a better offer, for that matter.
I know Thomas hasn’t set the world afire, but he’s only 23 and there is still a lot to like about him. His defense is excellent and he’s not a finished product. I do worry about his splits, leading me to believe he’s a strong side platoon guy, but if Thomas was part of a package for Cease (with another higher piece as headliner) I wouldn’t be upset about it.
Thomas does fit the narrative of the Sox adding to the stable of friends and family on the club, he being Mr Mount Carmel and all. Awkward reunion with his dad I suppose- but maybe they hire him back!
Charlotte came within 10 games of being in 9th place..way to close for Getz and the boys.
**QUICK POLL**
Who has the better MLB season overall in 2024, Haseley or DeJong?
DeJong, if only because he can mash in Sox park.
Haseley has never done anything.so I would bet on DeJong. A better question would be: “Who has the better 2024 season, Sheets or Haseley?”
Sheets, he’s got some pop in him.
And then his value is all negated with his defense. It would be close I would think.
Sheets is atrocious as a defender. He’s only got slugging going for him.
Sheets isn’t an outfielder. Give him a year at first base and see what happens.
Putting Sheets at 1B wouldn’t be a bad idea. It’s not like Vaughn is lighting it up with his defense either.
Nor bat. Bottom 1/3 first baseman for sure.
He’s a first baseman. They threw him into right field and crossed their fingers.
I’d love to see him start at first base for the next couple of years. Six hundred at bats for the next two years.
Let Vaughn DH.
Sheets as he’s a valuable lefty bat who in limited reps comes up big in clutch situations. Plus you can’t have enough of these MLB descendants who just have a way of being comfortable fits in the clubhouse. Prefer him all things being equal to Andrew Vaughn, who always looks like his head is about to fall off with his intense ‘grindiness’
Getz running things still seems like trolling. He and Grifol wouldn’t be hired/retained for key leadership roles by anyone serious. There is cheap understood, but this is JR making himself appear completely daft. Just announce the team is for sale if one’s heart is no longer in it and cash out big time.
The farm system will still be hurting after Cease and Eloy are traded. Oakland at least has a track record for good FO player development personnel when its owner offloads any salaries he can.
The Sox have everything in place to sell the team… low payroll, need for a new park and easily replaceable GM and Manager.
That would be for a normal team, but Jerry Reinsdorf isn’t selling, and this is just business as usual for the White Sox.
Why do they need a new ballpark?
People don’t feel safe driving down there anymore. I used to have season tickets, but I won’t go down there at night anymore.
I know that when I’m out on the streets gang-bangin’, I exclusively shoot up random cars, and I do it outside of big events that are swarming with cops and security. Watch out, cause I’ll getcha!
5 days ago: “5 teens wounded outside United Center in drive-by shooting”
The danger is not inside or near the park, it’s coming and going on the Dan Ryan and the Eisenhower. Carjackings are at an all-time high… and don’t get a flat tire.
So a shooting in a neighborhood 10-15 minutes north of the Guaranteed Rate is cause to avoid the Sox park… I’ll answer the park question correctly.. the neighborhood has never been spectacular, so unless this goof was a season ticket owner for the Go go Sox he’s just scared of the city now… The Chairman had a sweetheart deal with mayor Daley, they pay almost nothing in taxes because they are in his home neighborhood. They threatened Tampa before getting an even better deal structured to end in 2029.. he’s cheaper than cheap, so either he dies or lives to 105 and the deal expires. We all know Jerry won’t get a deal like he got before. So if the car jackings in a neighborhood that has been bad my entire forty years of life doesn’t turn him away, money always will.
What do you mean don’t feel safe driving there anymore? This isn’t 1975. The projects are long gone. Chinatown, Pilsen and Bridgeport are all being overrun by 300k condos. Bronzeville is next. There’s crazy batsit stuff going on in Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville and Lincoln square by the way but that’s becoming a national trend
NoNeck- so essentially you answered your own question- you just won’t go out at night anymore period anywhere in the city that requires to access the expressway. That’s fair. So you’re saying white Sox games, the zoo, theater, Ravinia, Grant park, Hawks games, museums, concerts, dining, bingo night, the opera, bowling…
Why do you go to the zoo at night? Do you talk to the owls?
Also, why are you an apologist for the ridiculous amount of violent crime in Chicago?
Looking forward to seeing you at the DNC convention riots.
2033 will be the 100th anniversary of the first all-star game played at Comiskey Park (also the 5oth anniversary of the 50th all-star game. MLB will want to have that game hosted by the White Sox, but it will be in a new park.
Reinsdorf’s son will sell the team before then and the new owners will build a park near Naperville (where they should have built it in 1990).
I bought tickets for a series last year as Louisiana resident but later sold them online bc of the violence in and around Chicago. No way I was gonna take my wife my 2 grand boys to GRF. Same reason why no big free agent will ever sign there. Only ones will be journeyman players
You haven’t heard of Zoo lights, the popular family tour of Lincoln Park zoo with Christmas lights? Or the ever popular Christmas parade down Michigan Avenue + fireworks, also at night? Guess you don’t get out of the house much. Latchkey kid with no drivers license?
Josh Donaldson, is that you? Some people are scared of parts of Louisiana after dark too. For different reasons. Different type of hood
2900 people have already been shot in Chicago this year (a month to go). There have been more than 5000 carjackings (often violent) since 2020.
Just curious… are you in denial, or just an apologist for Chicago’s worldwide infamous violence? You do realize that someone was actually shot inside the park last year during a Sox game, right? Is that something you think happens everywhere?
Again, I went to college near Water Tower Place, so I’m familiar with Chicago. I just don’t live in denial and embrace unnecessary risks.
When the Phils made that pick, people were like wait another LH hitting OF w/o serious pop? Looking back at 2017, it was a pretty weak 1st round, but I remember sentiment was for on infielder; Huira or Burger?
Oh well at least the 2016 #1 overall pick panned out…oh wait?
Huira looked good for like two seasons and then he got cooked by the league.
Another Klentak failure.
The outfield of Haseley, Moniak and Harper never happened. Gabe Kapler and Matt Klentak did help any either. Scott Kingery was a big bust too but at least he got $24mil to be a bust.
Wow, had to DFA Haseley to make room for DeJong. I guess sometimes you have to get rid of somebody great to make room for someone else who is. An unrelenting parade of nothing but the highest quality players for the Sox!
No, Sox still only had 39 men on 40 man roster.