Yolmer Sánchez didn't look like a great bet to survive next week's non-tender deadline, and a full 40-man roster reduced the value of suspense for suspense's sake.
Instead of waiting the remaining week, Ken Rosenthal reported that the White Sox placed Sánchez on outright waivers on Monday, marking the end of the White Sox career for the only recent success story from their international development system.
While Sánchez surfaced with the Sox in 2014, his roots extend far beyond that, as he signed with the club out of Venezuela at the age of 16 in the wake of the Dave Wilder skimming scandal. The Sox had a couple of success stories who arrived in the majors before him -- Eduardo Escobar and Andre Rienzo -- but they haven't had one since, which is why his Sánchez's portrait loomed large at the White Sox' Dominican facility.
Despite his flaws, Sánchez's White Sox career was a success. It was only three weeks ago that Sánchez won a Gold Glove, the team's first for a non-pitcher since Robin Ventura in 1998. His defense made him an average starter in terms of WAR, and he'll probably find a good home for somebody who needs a plus glove at second and third.
The problem is that Sánchez's offense had slid the wrong way, with an OPS+ going from 97 to 87 to 73 over the last three seasons. In a year where most players hit 20 homers by accident, Sánchez produced just 26 extra-base hits over 555 plate appearances, making it harder to distinguish him from the guy who is on the verge of replacing him. Nick Madrigal might not win a Gold Glove, but he should provide most of Sánchez's defense while eliminating Sánchez's contribution to the team's massive walk-to-strikeout disparity.
The only way Sánchez might have avoided this fate is if the White Sox's internal arbitration projection was notably less than the $6.2 million MLB Trade Rumors attached to him. Then again, Sánchez's Super Two status means this conversation would've popped up again next year, which further spoiled his trade value (see: Alex Colomé).
This is the second consecutive year that an arbitration figure has been the leading factor for a removal from the White Sox roster, and Bill James wondered if this was a sign the system is failing.
This outcome may be an unintentional byproduct, but I don't know if that's a bad thing unless that player wants to remain with the team above all else. The White Sox non-tendered Avisaíl García last year because he wasn't a great bet to live up to his $8 million projection, and sure enough, he only received $3.5 million guaranteed on the open market. However, he also earned another $1 million in incentives and made it back to the postseason with the Rays (corrected), so that worked out better for him than taking a similar number with the Sox. The same can be said for Tyler Flowers, who was able to return home to Georgia after the White Sox non-tendered him. He's since signed multiple multi-year deals with the Braves, so that's worked out great for him.
This doesn't only work against the White Sox, either. James McCann's non-tendering from the Tigers probably stings less after an All-Star season in Chicago. If the arbitration system allows the occasional player to benefit from a needed change of scenery at a younger age, perhaps this helps the game more than it hurts. Take the arb scale and service time out of the equation, and Sánchez is a guy who makes $3-4 million getting 300 plate appearances for a team that has better offensive options at second and third. Maybe this gets him there ahead of schedule.
It's undoubtedly unduly unceremonious, though, especially for a player who was a decent player on the field and a better ambassador off it. Sánchez left quite the grab bag of memorable moments, most of which served as reminder that baseball is supposed to be entertainment.
The decision is too cold and too businesslike to a guy who was neither of those things, but as long as the White Sox actually seek a better use of that roster spot and money, it could end up doing the greatest good for the greatest number. Looking back at last year, non-tendering García failed to work out, but only because the Sox had no higher ambitions for right field than Jon Jay and the also-outrighted Daniel Palka. The Yasmani Grandal signing suggests the White Sox have higher hopes around the rest of the diamond this time around, which is why it's imperative the Sox make good on that.
