The White Sox have been active over the first two days of 2025. A day after acquiring former Phillie LHP Tyler Gilbert, ex-Mariner Josh Rojas reportedly agreed to join the White Sox. Rojas goes to Chicago after two rocky seasons in Arizona and Seattle.
A Look at Rojas
The last two seasons have been a rollercoaster for Josh Rojas, the ex-Diamondback who proved to be a valuable infielder in Arizona. Acquired in the Zack Greinke trade in 2019, Rojas posted highly respectable OBP numbers with the Diamondbacks, including a career-high .349 on-base percentage in 2022.
That season, Rojas finished with a career-high 23 stolen bases and 35 extra-base hits. However, the 30-year-old fell out of favor in Arizona. Primarily, because of a .588 OPS with Arizona in 2023 that saw him get pushed out of the regular rotation, in favor of Emmanuel Rivera and Evan Longoria.
Rojas was traded to Seattle in July 2023 and seemed to find a groove in the first half of 2024. The 30-year-old recorded a .323 OBP before the All-Star break, before a .192/.273/.301 (.574 OPS) slash line in the second half.
Rojas was non-tendered by the Mariners in November.
The pluses of Rojas are buried within his versatility and, at least with Arizona, showed an ability to work counts and get on base. Rojas was very good defensively (+6 OAA at 3B, +2 OAA at 2B) with the Mariners last season. He saw the bulk of his time (131 GP) at third base in Seattle, as the M’s plugged him at the hot corner to replace Eugenio Suarez.
However, Rojas’ bat isn’t replicable of Suarez. The 30-year-old is a contact-first bat who’s very disciplined, posting above-average chase rates throughout his career. It’s a fairly short swing (7.3 in., roughly league average), and Rojas will often keep his hands in to maximize contact ability. Which, leads to lower pull numbers.
That approach and profile leads to less power. Rojas has a career .115 ISO, below the average benchmark of .150. The new White Sox infielder hit 10+ home runs in only one season (2021).
Per reports, Josh Rojas is going to the White Sox on a one-year deal.
Analysis
Third base was a revolving door for the White Sox, who didn’t have many long-term pieces in place, in 2024. Lenyn Sosa and Miguel Vargas saw significant time at third last season. However, neither hit particularly well.
Sosa was the better of the two, with a .642 OPS over 100 games. Vargas, acquired from the Dodgers in the Erick Fedde/Tommy Edman trade, had just a .387 OPS and looked nowhere near the top prospect he was considered just two years back with Los Angeles.
The White Sox will likely run Sosa and Vargas out again in 2025 to see what they have with those two. However, Rojas isn’t a bad piece to have during this rebuild. He can play multiple positions and get on base, the latter of which should help with run creation in 2025.
It’s also a soft landing spot for Rojas, who would have likely been a bench bat on most MLB teams. Instead, he’ll get a shot at regular playing time.