Moncada: ‘I wanted to be with this team’
Infielder officially agrees to a 5-year, $70M extension
MESA, Ariz. – Nomar Mazara walked over to Yoan Moncada in the White Sox clubhouse Friday morning and greeted the third baseman with a congratulatory handshake.
Moments later, Alex Colome did likewise.
Moncada had plenty of reasons to celebrate after officially coming to terms on a five-year, $70 million extension with the Sox.
The contract includes one club option that could extend the deal through the 2025 season.
“It was a good opportunity,” Moncada said through an interpreter. “It was a good opportunity that showed up, and you have to take advantage of the opportunities when they present (themselves), and that’s what I did.
“I wanted to be with this team too. That’s another factor. With all this happening, I can say I’m going to play alongside (left fielder) Eloy (Jimenez) and (center fielder) Luis Robert for a very long time, and that’s going to be a key for the success of this team.”
Moncada will receive a $4 million signing bonus, $1 million in 2020, $6 million in 2021, $13 million in 2022, $17
million in 2023 and $24 million in 2024. The Sox hold an option for $25 million in 2025, with a $5 million buyout.
General manager Rick Hahn said negotiations had been going on for less than two weeks. Moncada, 24, said he was happy to have a deal behind him.
“My focus this year is on baseball, it doesn’t matter what happened with this contract,” Moncada said. “If it didn’t happen, I would still have my focus on this season, but of course it’s good to have this done … because as I said before, I have big plans for this season. I’m expecting to have a way better season than I had last year.”
The switch-hitter slashed .315/.367/ .548 with 34 doubles, five triples, 25 home runs, 79 RBIs, 83 runs and 10 stolen bases in 132 games in 2019. He finished third in the American League in average behind teammate Tim Anderson (.335) and the Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu (.327).
He went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run Friday in the Sox’s 6-3 victory against the Cubs at Sloan Park.
“He’s got a special understanding of the strike zone, one that potentially got him in a little bit of trouble in 2018 and then led to a 2019 where he was a little more aggressive,” Hahn said. “The ultimate peak Yoan Moncada is probably somewhat a little in between those two approaches over the course of a season.
“Certainly not as passive as 2018, and probably in the future, using that awareness of strike zone and selectivity a little bit above where it was last year. If he winds up being the same guy he was last year, that’s a pretty darn good player and one that certainly deserves MVP consideration, as he got in 2019.”
Moncada improved his average 80 points from 2018, the fourth-best jump in franchise history, while cutting his strikeouts from 217 to 154. Defensively, he made the transition from second base to third.
“The work ethic has been there,” Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “He actually has stepped it up a notch. More than anything it’s just focus. He’s understanding the things he needs to do in order to continue to improve. He certainly made adjustments. That was a big swing for him in terms of in particular strikeouts.
“And then understanding he can be aggressive early in the count. Still be able to work counts, get on base. He just had tremendous growth. On top of that, looking at him playing third base, you realize he had a chance. I know that was the next question we had last year — what if we moved him from second to third? Was he going to be able to do it?”
Moncada is the latest member of the Sox young core to sign a long-term deal recently.
Last spring, the Sox reached a sixyear, $43 million deal with Jimenez. They came to terms with Robert on a six-year, $50 million contract Jan. 2. And they announced a five-year, $16 million extension with reliever Aaron Bummer on Feb. 22.
“This team has a lot of young talent,” Moncada said. “Part of that is we all can be able to carry this team to win a World Series championship. That’s our goal, but definitely the talent that we have right now is something that makes you feel excited.”