The White Sox have a little more than 24 hours left to offer contracts to their four arbitration-eligible players.
By 11 p.m. (CST) Friday night the team must decide whether to tender contracts to second baseman Gordon Beckham, outfielder Alejandro De Aza, first baseman Dan Johnson and starting pitcher Philip Humber.
With 10 players under contract for 89.95 million and limited payroll available, the White Sox might non-tender both Johnson and Humber, though general manager Rick Hahn declined to say Thursday until he spoke to players about what direction the club will go.
We have talked to some agents this week about what were thinking and where things are likely headed so its not going to come as a shock in the end, ultimately, if we decided to not tender anybody, Hahn said.
Beckham, who is in his first season of arbitration eligibility, is likely to earn around 3 million next season, while De Aza, also eligible for the first time, could earn at least 1-1.5 million.
With limited flexibility and what appears to be a full starting rotation ahead of him, Humber might not fit into the teams plans with a 1 million-plus salary. With Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn ahead of him at first base and designated hitter, Johnson, who is likely to earn at least 1 million, might be too costly for the budget-conscious White Sox.
Humber, who threw a perfect game in Seattle on April 21, went 5-5 with a 6.44 ERA. He was removed from the starting rotation in early August and only appeared in two games after Aug. 31.
Johnson hit 28 home runs at Triple-A Charlotte but only got 22 at-bats with the White Sox after he was promoted to the big leagues on Sept. 1.