The White Sox announced that they’ve declined a club option over veteran catcher Geovany Soto. Details of Soto’s option weren’t previously known, but Dan Hayes of NBC Sports Chicago tweets that it was a $3.5MM club option with a $250K buyout. The decision to opt for the buyout is hardly surprising; the 34-year-old Soto received just 48 plate appearances in 2017 and missed the bulk of the season due to elbow surgery.
Soto will turn 35 in January and hasn’t received more than 210 plate appearances in any single season since 2012. The former NL Rookie of the Year (2008, Cubs) is a lifetime .245/.330/.435 hitter with 108 homers in 2876 plate appearances. between the Cubs, White Sox, Rangers, A’s and Angels. He’s had two stints with the White Sox now, and given their organizational needs, it seems plausible that the two sides could yet agree to a new minor league contract for the 2018 campaign. If not, he’ll likely command interest on a minor league deal and could look to latch on somewhere as a depth option or in a competition for a backup role next season.
The Rangers are looking for a backup catcher. He could come back and play for the Rangers again
Hang up the spikes Geo