White Soc announce $70M, 5-year deal with Yoán Moncada

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White Soc announce $70M, 5-year deal with Yoán Moncada

2020-03-07 02:25 Last Updated At：02:30

The Chicago White Sox announced their $70 million, five-year contract with Yoán Moncada on Friday,

He gets a $4 million signing bonus, payable in equal installments each Nov. 15 from 2020-23, and salaries of $1 million this year, $6 million in 2021, $13 million in 2022, $17 million in 2023 and $24 million in 2024.

Moncada's deal includes a $25 million team option for 2025 with a $5 million buyout. The option price can increase by a maximum of $2.5 million based on his finish in MVP voting from 2020-24: $2.5 million for winning and $1.5 million for second or third.

Chicago acquired the 24-year-old in the December 2016 trade that sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox. Long regarded as one of baseball's top prospects, the third baseman broke out last season when he set career highs with a .315 batting average, 25 homers and 79 RBIs.

Moncada would have been eligible for salary arbitration after this season and for free agency after the 2023 season.

Hoping to make the most of a painful rebuilding process, the White Sox have handed out several big deals to the prospects they accumulated during seven straight losing seasons.

Shortstop Tim Anderson agreed to a $25 million, six-year contract in March 2017. Young slugger Eloy Jiménez finalized a $43 million, six-year deal last March, and outfielder Luis Robert agreed to a $50 million, six-year pact in January. Key reliever Aaron Bummer got a $16 million, five-year contract last month that includes two club options.

Moncada made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2016. He hit 17 homers and drove in 61 runs for the White Sox two years ago, but he also struck out a major league-high 217 times in 149 games.

His deal includes award bonuses for MVP voting: $100,000 for first, $90,000 for second, $80,000 for third, $70,000 for fourth and $60,000 for fifth. He would get $25,000 for All-Star election and $15,000 for selection as a reserve. He also would get $100,000 for World Series MVP, $75,000 for League Championship Series MVP, $25,000 for Gold Glove, $15,000 for Silver Slugger and $50,000 for making The Sporting News all-star team.

Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

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QB Joe Flacco appreciative of his chance to play for the Bengals

CINCINNATI (AP) — After opening the season as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns facing the Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Flacco will close the season as the backup for the Bengals as they face the Browns on Sunday.

Flacco was dealt to the Bengals in October and made six starts for the Bengals while Joe Burrow was out with a toe injury.

“I don’t really think about putting a label on it,” Flacco said. “It’s crazy. Seasons always go by quick once they’ve started. But the way that this one went, it seems like it flew by.”

During the summer, in Cleveland Browns training camp, Flacco won a competition for the starting quarterback job and made four starts for Cleveland. In Week 1 against the Bengals, Flacco threw for 290 yards.

He said that over the past 17 weeks, he has seen improvement from the Bengals defense. Now, he refers to the Bengals defense as his team’s defense.

“We’re stopping the run,” Flacco said. “We’re getting more pressure on the quarterback. When you combine those two things, it’s going to help you out.”

While Flacco went 1-5 as a starter in Cincinnati, the 40-year-old played well. He threw for at least 200 yards in four of his six starts, and the Bengals offense averaged more than 27 points per game.

Flacco said that he developed a lot of respect for Bengals coach Zac Taylor.

“He has a lot of strengths,” Flacco said. “He’s really good at what he does. His demeanor, his overall personality and the way he leads men is really good. The way he puts game plans together. Also, he’s willing to allow it to be collaborative. That’s a strength. His game day play-calling is also something he does really well.”

Burrow took over as the starter when he returned on Thanksgiving, and Flacco has been the backup over the past month.

Flacco will be a free agent again at the end of the season. As he evaluates his options, he’s hoping to find another chance to play and to start.

“That’s always a priority,” Flacco said. “I’m somebody who wants to play football. You’ve got to assess and see whatever is thrown your way. You have to go from there and see what you can do about it.”

He said that he’d be open to returning to the Bengals, but he’ll weigh several factors.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Flacco said. “I don’t hope to do anything. I have an idea of maybe of what some goals would be. I’ll go from there and see what happens.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl