The Chicago White Sox secured another young player to a long-term deal, agreeing to a five-year, $70 million extension with third baseman Yoan Moncada, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal.
The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the contract had not yet been announced.
The deal includes a team option for a sixth year that would push its value to $90 million.
After struggling in 211 games from 2016-2018, the 24-year-old broke out last season, batting .315 with 25 home runs, 79 home runs and a .915 OPS for the White Sox.
Moncada becomes the latest White Sox youngster to sign a big deal, following in the footsteps of Eloy Jimenez in 2019 and Luis Robert this winter. Neither of them had played a game in the majors before the extensions.
Moncada was signed out of Cuba at age 19 by the Boston Red Sox and was traded to Chicago as part of the package that sent Chris Sale to Boston in Dec. 2016.
Regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball, Moncada made his big-league debut with the Red Sox in 2016. He played 54 games for the White Sox in 2017 and became an everyday player in 2018, but hit just .235 with 217 strikeouts in his first full season.
