The Chicago White Sox declined an option on their 2005 World Series most valuable player Jermaine Dye, saving millions in the process.

The move will cost the club $800,000 US to buy out Dye. He would have earned $12 million next season if the White Sox had extended the contract struck in 2007.

In his fifth season in Chicago, Dye hit 27 home runs and drove in 81 runs in 141 games, with a .250 average. The batting average was the lowest of any full season in his career, while the home run total was his lowest since 2004 in Oakland.

Dye batted .438 in Chicago's World Series triumph over Houston with a home run and three runs batted in.

Dye has 325 homers, 1,072 RBIs and a .274 average in a career that began with Atlanta and then Kansas City.

The right-fielder, who will turn 36 in the off-season, is now eligible to file for free agency.