White Sox Deal with Dalbec a Smart Move for Both Sides

Bobby Dalbec has a good agent. The CAA Sports Client inked a minor league deal with the White Sox that includes an invite to major league Spring Training. If Dalbec cracks the White Sox roster he will have an opportunity to make nearly $2 million despite limited production the past four seasons. 

Dalbec will make $1.25 million if he makes the major league roster with $500,000 worth of incentives available, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Dalbec’s deal also includes an opt-out in June or July if he isn’t with the major league club. 

The 29-year-old is coming off a season where he only appeared in 37 MLB games for the Red Sox. In 93 trips to the plate, he slashed .133/.217/.193 with eight RBIs and a home run. To put Dalbec’s deal in perspective, the Nationals signed Amed Rosario, who hit .280/.306/.380 last season to a one-year contract worth $2 million. 

Dalbec’s signing is a smart move for both clubs. The White Sox would be thrilled if they had to pay Dalbec the full $1.75 million salary. The former fourth-rounder out of the University of Arizona was the talk of Boston in 2020. At the time of his big league debut, he was a consensus Top-100 prospect. In just 23 games he managed to hit eight homers and drive in 16 RBIs. 

During his first full season in 2021, he gave the Red Sox plenty to be optimistic about. Despite batting just .240, Dabec connected for a career-high 100 hits, 25 homers, and drove in 78 RBIs. His .522 expected slugging percentage, 92.4 mph average exit velocity, and 48.1 percent hard hit percentage each ranked in the top 15 percentile in the league. 

The White Sox are hoping he can tap into some of that potential because he has failed to hit the ball hard consistently since. In 2022 his .216 expected batting average ranked in the bottom eight percent of the MLB. His average plummeted to .204 in 2023 and he has hit a combined 14 home runs in the last three seasons. He was outrighted off Boston’s roster in September and elected free agency at the end of the season. 

 Dalbec is the opposite of most of the signings the White Sox have brought in. He owns a career 36.8 percent strikeout rate, which is much higher than the league average. He also does not get on base at the major league level. However, his minor league production over the past three years gave the White Sox hope that he could rebound. 

His strikeout issues continued with a 34.6 percent strikeout rate in 956 plate appearances, but he mitigated that with an 11.8 percent walk rate. He also has 58 homers across three seasons with a .260 batting average and 121 WRC+.  If Dalbec’s struggles continue it won’t cost the White Sox much. He is out of options so it will be difficult for him to hold onto a roster spot long enough to earn all of his incentives. If he does earn his performance incentives it means the White Sox will likely try and flip him at the deadline for prospects.

 For Dalbec, the White Sox present an opportunity for playing time he wouldn’t get anywhere else. He is buried on the depth chart behind Andrew Vaughn, but Gavin Sheets, who was non-tendered earlier this winter, still managed 43 starts at first base last season. It’s a low-risk gamble for the White Sox and a chance for a chance for a fresh start for Dalbec.