Slater excited for opportunity with White Sox after inking 1-year deal

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.

"Ryan's the best,” said Slater of Fuller on a Thursday Zoom session. “He understands the swing, which is obviously very important. But what I took away the most was what he talked about on the mental side of the game, especially for hitters, it being so up and down, frustrating at times. He had a lot of great wisdom and teaching points on that aspect of the game. I'm excited to continue working with him and see him quite a bit this season.

“Free agency started, and the White Sox were the first team to reach out. They told me I was their top target, and that was super encouraging. That meant a lot, considering how difficult I felt last year went.”

Manager Will Venable talked with Slater a couple of times during the process, according to the outfielder, and Slater liked the message Chicago's new manager put forth. He would be getting a chance for playing time and a chance to be a clubhouse leader.

“You saw teams last year like the Royals strike really early, the Braves, as well,” Slater said of free agency. “And then every other team seemed like they waited until just about Spring Training started.

“I guess the loose expectation is like, ‘All right, it's either going to happen really early on and I’m a clear target for some teams or I'm going to have to wait it out and make a decision right around Spring Training.’ So I'm glad this is the way that it went and excited about the spot that I landed.”

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 Venable an experienced right-handed bat, with Slater having covered eight seasons with three teams, to pair with younger left-handed-hitting outfielders Dominic Fletcher, Zach DeLoach and Oscar Colas.

This move also gives a feel of stability to Austin and his wife, Caroline, who welcomed their first child, Beau Jackson, two weeks ago.

“Getting traded twice with a pregnant wife and moving across the country a couple times, to be able to settle and find a spot right away, it kind of settles the offseason a little bit for us, the 'what ifs' and all the personal-life drama that can arise from the uncertainty that is the baseball ecosystem,” Slater said. “So we're super excited about that.

“Then we landed in, personally, my favorite city in the league, in terms of visiting. So I'm excited to get to Chicago and settle in and explore the city some more."

With the signing, the White Sox 40-man roster increased to 39.