Infielder Yoán Moncada goes to get some reps subsequent month. Per Francys Romero on X, Moncada will play for Cuba within the upcoming Premier12 event, which is about to happen in a number of nations in November.
He’s possible pleased to get the taking part in time, as he solely obtained 45 plate appearances over 12 video games in 2024. That was largely resulting from harm, as Moncada suffered a left adductor pressure in April and didn’t come off the IL till mid-September. Even when he was again with the membership, the Sox didn’t play him a lot, preferring to provide the work to youthful gamers with extra potential to contribute in the long term.
Moncada is about to change into a free agent. The Sox have a $25MM membership choice to maintain him round for 2025 however they are going to definitely go for the $5MM buyout as an alternative, since he hasn’t been his finest self shortly.
Advertising himself to different golf equipment in free company shall be a problem after an primarily misplaced season, which is definitely a part of the explanation he’s planning to place his spikes on and play subsequent month. He was additionally restricted by accidents within the earlier two seasons, taking part in simply 196 video games over 2022 and 2023 whereas hitting .234/.288/.386 for a wRC+ of 86.
Although he’s been harm inclined of late and has seemingly been round perpetually, it’s straightforward to overlook that he nonetheless hasn’t celebrated his thirtieth birthday, which shall be in Could. His high-profile defection from Cuba was over a decade in the past, however he was simply a young person at the moment. He went on to signal an enormous take care of the Pink Sox, when that was nonetheless potential beneath the previous newbie spending guidelines, later getting traded to the White Sox as a part of the Chris Sale mega commerce earlier than signing a notable extension with Chicago.
However he’s nonetheless comparatively younger and was in good kind as not too long ago as a couple of years in the past. In 2021, he stayed wholesome sufficient to play 144 video games for the Sox. He slashed .263/.375/.412 that 12 months for a 120 wRC+. He additionally acquired stable marks for his glovework, as he often does, resulting in a tally of three.7 wins above substitute within the eyes of FanGraphs.
The latest accidents and tepid efficiency will each ship him to free company and knock down his incomes energy on the open market, nevertheless it’s potential that some golf equipment will view him as a powerful bounceback candidate who might doubtlessly present robust return on a modest funding.
