A busy week with key decisions is underway for the White Sox after Kansas City clinched its first World Series victory since 1985 late Sunday night.
Within the five-day window before free agency begins at midnight Saturday, the White Sox must make choices on both Alexei Ramirez and Jeff Samardzija.
In the case of Ramirez, the team has three days to decide whether or not to exercise the veteran shortstop’s $10 million club option, with his return seeming likelier than it did two months ago.
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The White Sox are also expected to extend a qualifying offer to Samardzija before Friday’s 4 p.m. CST deadline, which would allow him to return next season on a one-year, $15.8-million deal.
The White Sox would be entitled to a compensatory draft pick were Samardzija — who went 11-13 with a 4.96 ERA in 32 starts — to reject the qualifying offer and sign elsewhere.
Players must accept or decline a qualifying offer by Nov. 13. With as many as eight parties possibly interested in his services, including the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, Samardzija is expected to decline the offer and pursue a free-agent deal.
MLB
Ramirez produced a .249/.285/.357 slash line with 10 homers and 62 RBIs in 622 plate appearances last season, his eighth with the WhiteSox. One of the worst players in baseball in the first half of the season, Ramirez dramatically improved in the second half hitting .282/.329/.426 with eight homers and 36 RBIs from July 1-Oct. 4.
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Still, Ramirez finished the season worth minus-0.5 Wins Above Replacement, according to Fangraphs.com. But with several other key holes to fill and options limited on the free agent market — Ian Desmond, Asdrubal Cabrera, Stephen Drew and Jimmy Rollins are the top options — Ramirez could make the most sense for the White Sox, given he’s a year removed from winning a Silver Slugger award and being named a Gold Glove finalist.
Though the White Sox already have a future shortstop on the way in Tim Anderson, the organization doesn’t want to rush the 2013 first-round pick, preferring to give him more time to hone his defensive skills and plate approach.