5 players who may have played their last game with Sox

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The White Sox have moved on to the offseason, and while there are already some areas the team needs to address, whether or not it wants to and/or can retain some of its current players could create new items on the winter to-do list.Whether it’s because of under performance, injury or impending free agency, here’s a look at five players who might have just played their final games in a White Sox uniform -- and how the South Siders would be able to fill their spot on the 2021 roster.

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Encarnación’s signing was a good one when it happened on Christmas, a proven slugger with playoff experience. Seemed like a slam dunk for a lineup that needed a power boost.

Encarnación did hit 10 home runs this season, but his production outside that one number fell off a cliff. He slashed just .157/.250/.377 and never emerged from a season-long slump.

Though the 37-year-old was a positive presence in the clubhouse and in the dugout, his bat didn’t contribute the way it needed to, and it’s unlikely the White Sox will pick up his option for 2021.

Fortunately, they have an obvious option to replace him as the everyday DH, with Andrew Vaughn, the first-round pick from 2019, waiting in the minor leagues.

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As much as the White Sox would like to bring back the guy who turned into an All Star and a dependable presence in the lineup, it’s going to be extraordinarily tricky to do so given the way their roster is currently constructed.

No, it’s not money that might get in the way of keeping McCann, a free agent, on the South Side. It’s playing time. The White Sox gave Yasmani Grandal the richest free-agent deal in team history to be their No. 1 catcher for the next half decade. McCann has earned the opportunity to be a No. 1 catcher in Major League Baseball, and he’ll likely get it elsewhere.

The White Sox could try to shuffle things, try to create a timeshare between Grandal, McCann and José Abreu between the catcher, DH and first base positions to get everyone the at-bats they need. But that could leave Andrew Vaughn on the outside looking in.

And so McCann will likely be topping a depth chart somewhere else next season, leaving the door open for Zack Collins to step into the No. 2 catcher spot behind Grandal on the White Sox depth chart.

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Much like the Encarnación signing, González coming aboard this winter -- a reunion with the organization that drafted him a decade and a half earlier -- seemed to make plenty of sense, as the White Sox were in desperate need of starting-pitching depth.

But González struggled to provide that depth. He was hurt for a spell, but even when healthy he struggled to recapture the same results that made him a dependable starting pitcher for much of his big league career. He finished the season with a 4.83 ERA in 12 appearances, giving up runs in half of them.

And while there’s been no update from the White Sox, González appeared to suffer a bad-looking injury in the final series of the regular season against the Cubs and was left off the AL Wild Card Series roster.

The White Sox have an option for his contract for 2021 but would seem unlikely to pick it up.

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This is no certainty, obviously, as Rodón is under team control for the 2021 season. The White Sox would have to non-tender the No. 4 pick in the 2014 draft to end his South Side tenure a year before he’s slated to hit free agency. But 2020 was another lost season in a series of lost series for the lefty.

The White Sox have always thought highly of what Rodón could be, but they’re running out of time to see him turn into that pitcher and they’re running out of opportunity to give him to show it. Rodón has not proven he’s able to stay healthy, through no fault of his own, of course. But that matters in a baseball season, as the White Sox found out, unable to turn to a reliable arm for a third playoff start last week in Oakland.

A look ahead to the 2021 rotation already reveals a crowded group, with Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, Dylan Cease, Dane Dunning and Michael Kopech all figuring to factor into the mix -- and that’s before the White Sox make any offseason moves.

It’s hard to see where Rodón fits into that mix, and while they could certainly give him another chance with one more season of control remaining, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they were to allow him to find a more certain situation elsewhere.

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Fans might be focused on James McCann, but the White Sox closer might be the impending free agent who had the best season in 2020. Colomé was quietly one of baseball’s elite closers, putting up a 0.81 ERA and going 12 for 13 in save chances.

Colomé could hit the market as a hot commodity, a proven, reliable ninth-inning man who closed out 138 games over the last five seasons. And another team could snap him up.

But the economics of this winter are unpredictable at the moment in the wake of a season without paying customers in the stands. How that will impact teams’ spending remains unknown, and the White Sox -- who have shown a recent tendency to act against the trends -- might be able to retain their closer on a different kind of deal than he might have commanded in years past.

While Aaron Bummer has been a dominant reliever the last two seasons -- and got a long-term contract extension in spring training that could set him up as Colomé’s heir apparent -- the White Sox bullpen would certainly be stronger with Colomé than without him. Being able to keep Bummer as a dominant setup man would be a nice luxury.

But there figures to be plenty of competition for Colomé’s services, even if how much he’ll make is hard to forecast. And that could work against him continuing his time on the South Side.

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