White Sox sign OF Slater to 1-year deal
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CHICAGO -- Austin Slater officially joined the 2025 White Sox outfield mix on Wednesday, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.
Slater, 31, played for the Giants, Reds and Orioles during the 2024 season, slashing .209/.321/.266 with two home runs, 18 RBIs and 24 runs scored in 84 combined games. He finished with the O's and had his best 33-game stretch of the season in Baltimore, where current White Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller was the co-hitting coach.
The right-handed hitter has a .271/.364/.429 career slash line in 929 plate appearances against left-handed hurlers, although he slashed .188/.310/.231 when facing southpaws in 2024. Slater has appeared in 230 games in center field, 158 in left, 151 in right, 29 at first base and one each at second base and third base.
In Year 2 of this latest rebuild incarnation, the White Sox focus falls upon giving young players a chance to show their capabilities, while the front office assesses their abilities and then figures out where the team needs to make moves. But this particular free agent addition gives manager Will Venable an experienced right-handed bat, having covered eight seasons with three teams, to pair with younger left-handed hitting outfielders Dominic Fletcher, Zach DeLoach and Oscar Colas.
With the signing the White Sox 40-man roster increased to 39.