Edwin Encarnacion's $12M Contract Option for 2021 Declined by White Sox

The Chicago White Sox will not bring designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion back for a second season, declining a club option for the 2021 that would've paid him $12 million.

It was an expected move, considering Chicago general manager Rick Hahn pointed to designated hitter as a position that needed to produce more. Encarnacion had a disappointing .157/.250/.377 slash line in 2020 while hitting 10 home runs and striking out 54 times.

"We didn't quite get the production out of right field or DH that we wanted this year," Hahn told reporters after the season.

He added: "But as we head into the offseason, if you were to identify the shopping list, you hit the nail on the head in terms of coming up with our solutions for the pitching staff as well as potentially in right field and DH."

The 37-year-old Encarnacion's decline came much faster than the Sox expected, leading then-manager Rick Renteria to use him for just two plate appearances during the three-game Wild Card Series against the Oakland Athletics last year. 

Instead Chicago filled the DH slot by using catchers James McCann and Yasmani Grandal as well as Jose Abreu when possible. 

The White Sox made a major statement this offseason by firing Renteria after his first winning season with the club and hiring Tony La Russa as his replacement. With the team ready to contend, there was no room for Encarnacion to keep swinging away in Chicago any longer.