On March 7, 2020 — just before the pandemic shut baseball down — Yoan Moncada locked in his future with the Chicago White Sox on a 5-year, $70 million fully guaranteed extension. It wasn’t a standalone move: Chicago signed Luis Robert and Eloy Jiménez around the same time, making it a deliberate effort to secure the core of their rebuild in one offseason push.
The Contract Breakdown
- Team: Chicago White Sox
- Signed: March 7, 2020
- Length: 5 years (2020–2024)
- Total guaranteed value: $70 million
- Average annual value: $14 million
- Signing bonus: $4 million
How the Money Is Structured
The deal isn’t a flat salary across five years. It starts light — just $1 million in 2020 — and ramps up significantly, reaching $24 million in 2024. That back-loaded structure gave Chicago short-term flexibility while rewarding Moncada as the contract matured.
He also received a $4 million signing bonus at the time of the agreement. Tacked onto the end is a club option for $25 million in 2025, with a $5 million buyout — giving the White Sox the choice to extend the relationship or move on without owing him the full option value.
The Fine Print
The base contract (2020–2024) is 100% guaranteed. In MLB, that means Moncada was owed every dollar regardless of injuries or performance — standard for extensions of this kind. The 2025 option, however, belongs entirely to the team, not the player.
Where This Deal Stands in the MLB Landscape
The $70 million extension doesn’t crack the upper tier of the biggest contracts in baseball history, but that was never really the point. It reflects Chicago’s strategy more than Moncada’s market ceiling: a third baseman with real upside, locked in long-term at a cost that looks modest next to the league’s elite megadeals.
Before the White Sox: The $31.5 Million International Signing
Moncada’s MLB journey started with a massive bet by the Boston Red Sox, who signed him in 2015 for $31.5 million as an international amateur — one of the largest international signing bonuses ever at the time. It was a high-risk investment in a teenage prospect with enormous tools but no guarantee of big-league success.
Five years later, with his MLB track record established, Moncada negotiated the White Sox extension. The $70 million deal was Chicago’s acknowledgment that the investment had paid off.
Career Earnings
Add it all up — the Boston signing bonus, MLB base salaries, and contract bonuses — and Moncada has earned an estimated $102 million in guaranteed money over his professional career. That figure covers MLB compensation only and does not include endorsements or any earnings from leagues outside the United States.
