:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65570724/usa_today_12779712.0.jpg)
On Monday, depending on your outlook on the offseason, the Chicago White Sox either went through some administrative paperwork or started cleaning house for a big offseason.
Cup half-full or -empty, the team outrighted lefty Manny Bañuelos, outfielder Ryan Cordell, infielder Ryan Goins and first baseman Matt Skole to Triple-A Charlotte. As such, all four will become minor league free agents after the World Series concludes.
Bañuelos was acquired this offseason for Single-A masher Justin Yurchak. The southpaw hurler had a decent spring and won a starting role with the team as camp broke, but he had an awful 2019, clocking in with a -1.0 bWAR and 6.93 ERA and 6.57 FIP. Bañeulos was shelved with the go-to shoulder inflammation diagnosis in mid-June and beyond five innings (three games) in September, his season was over early.
With 72 games in right field, Cordell was as responsible as anyone for the historically-bad production the White Sox had at the position in 2019. He notched -0.6 bWAR, along with seven homers, 24 RBIs and a .221/.290/.355 slash. Cordell came to the White Sox while nursing a back injury, traded from the Milwaukee Brewers for Anthony Swarzak, and it might have been worth Cordell’s career -1.2 bWAR on the South Side just to get rid of that tool of a relief pitcher.
Goins joined the White Sox from Charlotte in mid-July and muscled up on the ball pretty well in 163 PAs in 2019 (.250/.333/.347), while playing third base, shortstop, first base, all three outfield spots and DH for the White Sox. But to be fair, calling up a player like Goins — at 3.6 bWAR in 541 career games at this point — says an awful lot about the season-long stupor the club was enabled by management to play in. Goins was a minor league free agent pickup this past offseason, and on a club playing eenie-meanie-miney-moe with Yolmer Sánchez and Danny Mendick, there’s simply no room going forward.
Finally, Skole was cut loose from the organization, after a strong Charlotte campaign in 2019 (21 homers, 56 RBIs, .248/.384/.497). After a brief and very nice cup of coffee with the White Sox in 2018 (.930 OPS with a homer in 13 PAs), Skole could not make more of his full September audition in 2019 (31 Ks in 27 games, .208/.275/.236, -0.6 bWAR).
With the trims, the 40-man White Sox roster stands at 35.