White Sox avoid arbitration with Dylan Cease, Andrew Vaughn
White Sox avoided arbitration with first baseman Andrew Vaughn and starting pitcher Dylan Cease.
Tony Gutierrez/AP
The White Sox avoided arbitration with right-hander Dylan Cease and first baseman Andrew Vaughn for $8 million and $3.25 million on one-year deals, respectively.
The Sox also avoided arbitration with off-season acquisitions Nicky Lopez ($4.3 million) and right-hander Michael Soroka ($3 million), right-handers Michael Kopech ($3 million) and Touki Toussaint ($1.3 million) and left-hander Garrett Crochet ($800,000).
The Sox have no remaining arbitration-eligible players for 2024.
Lopez, a middle infielder who could be the Sox’ Opening Day second baseman, and Soroka, a 2019 All-Star who is trying to bounce back from two Achilles injuries, came to the Sox with three others in a November trade for Aaron Bummer.
Cease, the Sox’ 2023 Opening Day starter, is on the trade block and may not open the season with the Sox.
Also Thursday, the Sox announced that Jin Wong has been named assistant general manager, replacing Jeremy Haber. Wong’s hire was reported Sunday, with Haber leaving to pursue other interests after 11 years in the organization.
Wong comes to the Sox from the Royals, where he was vice president of baseball operations and spent the previous 24 seasons, including the last two as vice president/assistant general manager under executive vice president and general manager J.J. Piccollo.
Among his responsibilities, Wong will oversee many of the duties Haber held, including contract negotiations, salary arbitration, budgeting and payroll management, and compliance with Major League Baseball rules and regulations, including the collective bargaining agreement.
Wong is the latest with a Royals background to join the hierarchy of the Sox’ management team, joining general manager Chris Getz, manager Pedro Grifol and director of player personnel Gene Watson.