6:05pm: The White Sox announced that they have tendered Vaughn a contract for 2025.
3:40pm: The White Sox are not going to tender a contract to first baseman/outfielder Gavin Sheets, per a report from Robert Murray of FanSided on X. Once official, Chicago’s 40-man roster count will drop to 38.
Sheets, 29 in April, was a second-round pick of the White Sox in 2017. He hit well throughout his minor league career, which made him a notable prospect in the club’s system for a while. Baseball America ranked him as one of their top 15 prospects in four straight years from 2018 to 2021. In the last of those years, he made his major league debut with a splash, hitting 11 home runs in just 54 games. That led to a .250/.324/.506 slash line and 123 wRC+.
But his production has fallen off since then. The Sox have given him 1,255 plate appearances over the past three years but Sheets has hit just .227/.291/.368 in those. That production translates to an 84 wRC+, indicating he’s been 16% worse than league average.
The Sox have had first base largely occupied by José Abreu and then Andrew Vaughn over the past few years. That has forced Sheets to spend more time in the outfield corners, where he’s not considered a strong defender, to put it mildly. In 1,618 innings on the grass, he has -22 Defensive Runs Saved and -13 Outs Above Average.
He crossed three years of service time in 2024, allowing him to qualify for arbitration for the first time. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a salary of $2.6MM next year. Given his performance thus far, it’s unsurprising that the Sox have decided they’re uninterested in bringing him back at that price point.
It’s possible that the two sides could reunite on a deal with a lower salary, but Sheets will now be free to talk to all 30 clubs and assess his options. If he latches on somewhere and gets back on track, he can theoretically be controlled for three more seasons.
The Sox still have Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi, their two highest-paid players, in their outfield mix. They just signed Austin Slater and added him to the group. Zach DeLoach, Oscar Colás, Dominic Fletcher and Corey Julks are also on the roster and should be battling each other for playing time. Vaughn is still the first baseman on paper, though it’s possible that he also winds up non-tendered today.
Alas, poor Sheetsie, we knew him well…
Team is up Sheets’ creek without a paddle
Thank you.
Sheets is definitely a change of scenery guy but he’s probably going to have to take a minor league deal to get a Spring Training invite. Aside from his poor bottom-line production, the underlying metrics are pretty awful when it comes to his bat.
Based upon how it appears the CWS are run, every one on their roster is a “change of scenery” guy.
Please don’t let Jerry Dipoto see this.
Or Perry Minasian. They’re probably arm wrestling each other for the scrub.
This guy will be working at the Walmart Tire & Lube here soon. At least he will always have the memories…….
What a klanmember would say, for $500
Ah sheets.
Holy Sheet!
The consistent power has just never been there to justify putting his glove in the field. Overdue
Dad was a better player.
You’re killin’ me, Larry.
Throwing out the “Sheets” when the whole house needs a rebuild!
Congratulations to Sheets for earning 3 yrs of mlb service time. A Miracle. Undoubtedly the only organization in all of mlb where this could be fathomable and he was lucky enough to land their. It seemed it was impossible, but anything is possible:)
I actually always feared Sheets a little bit when he’d step into the box. Earlier in his career, he could really get into one. Maybe he needs to be in his primary position every day with a change of scenery.
great name, not great production
Non rendered by the White Sox a week before Thanksgiving. This has Hallmark movie written all over it lol
Don’t stop now boys!
Daniel Palka 2.0.
Letting Sheets run off to test the market? That might leave quite a stain.
I can see the Pirates taking a gamble on Sheets. They can use a first baseman and he should be cheap enough for the Buccos.
No he is no Daniel Palka, he can take a walk, he has a good eye. Sox didn’t develop him, platooned him, stuck him out in right field. I’d sign this guy and start him at first base, give him everyday at bats and see if he can’t find that form.
Some players don’t do well in toxic situations, the White Sox have been that for a few seasons. Sheets has a great build, 6’5 lefty, that power is real, and he can play defense at first base.
Could he have performed better with the opportunity that he was given in Chicago, sure, but sometimes a new start blossoms into something, this is a guy who I’d take a chance on if I had an opening at first base.
I also just took a Sheets
Bears can sign him to block for Caleb.
Sox just a paper 125 loss team
Citizen 1: You’re selling them short. 121 isn’t enough. Neither is 125. The Sox will finish 2025 with 135 losses, one more than the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, for the all-time record.
Someone is about to become a pirate