The White Sox have added yet another catcher. The team announced earlier this evening that they acquired Matt Thaiss from the Cubs in exchange for cash considerations.
A 29-year-old left-handed hitting catcher, Thaiss has spent parts of six seasons in MLB, all of which have been with the Los Angeles Angels. He has had a relatively uninspiring big-league career to date. Thaiss is a career .208 hitter with an 81 OPS+ but has graded out well defensively in terms of blocking pitches over the years. The Cubs acquired Thaiss from the Angels earlier this offseason, but he became expendable for the Cubs once they signed free agent catcher Carson Kelly.
Thaiss and Korey Lee figure to be the White Sox catching tandem to begin the 2025 season. There is a natural complement between the two as Thaiss is a left-handed hitter while Lee bats right-handed. The White Sox gave career minor leaguer Chuckie Robinson a fair amount of playing time at the end of the 2024 season, but Thaiss is the better player of the two and will likely take his spot.
The White Sox have two top catching prospects waiting in the wings. Edgar Quero has been in the organization since the middle of 2023 and Kyle Teel was just acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade. They figure to be the long-term catching duo for the White Sox, but neither is MLB-ready yet. Quero has just 26 games of experience at the AAA level, while Teel has 28 AAA games to his name. Given where the White Sox are at, there is no reason to rush either of them to the majors. They need more development time in the minor leagues. Thaiss will likely serve as a placeholder option until one of them is ready for the majors.
Trading for Matt Thaiss is a relatively insignificant acquisition in the scheme of things for the White Sox. However, it is a welcome sign that the organization is bringing in veteran depth. Rushing top prospects to the majors is the last thing the organization should be doing right now. Adding short-term veterans should prevent that and ensure that the team’s top prospects are as prepared and ready as possible for when they get called up to Chicago.
