Chicago White Sox avoid arbitration with 7 players — including white sox pitcher — by agreeing to 1-year deals

CHICAGO (AP) — Pitcher Dylan Cease and the Chicago White Sox avoided arbitration, agreeing Thursday to an $8 million, one-year deal.

Cease, who has been mentioned in trade rumors, struggled last season after finishing second in the 2022 AL Cy Young Award vote. The 28-year-old right-hander was 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA in 33 starts.

The White Sox also reached agreements with slugger Andrew Vaughn ($3.25 million) and right-hander Michael Kopech ($3 million) as well as infielder Nicky Lopez ($4.3 million), and pitchers Michael Soroka ($3 million), Touki Toussaint ($1.3 million) and Garrett Crochet ($800,000). Chicago has deals with all seven of its arbitration-eligible players.

Vaughn hit 21 homers and drove in 80 runs while batting .258 last season. Kopech’s ERA jumped from 3.54 in 2022 to 5.43 last year, when he was 5-12 in 27 starts and three relief appearances.