3 free agent catchers who the White Sox need to target this offseason

A lot of new things are coming to the Chicago White Sox. With Chris Getz in for Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams, you can expect him to start putting his flavor on this roster. A lot of changes will be implemented this offseason.

There have already been some players that are declared gone. Either the Sox made it clear that they won’t be extended or have their options picked up. One of those players is Yasmani Grandal who has been a mainstay at for the last handful of seasons. 

The Sox have also had catchers like James McCann, Zack Collins, Reese McGuire, and Seby Zavala but Grandal had been THE guy during this stretch. There were some really good MVP-caliber moments, but also some really bad/borderline DFA-type moments as well. 

The plan is for young prospects like Korey Lee and Edgar Quero to take over that position in the long term. However, a good veteran catcher would be very helpful in 2024 to hold things down while their catching prospects develop. Here are a few free agent veteran catchers that could help Chicago in the short-term.

Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez has had a very interesting Major League career up to this point. He started with the New York Yankees and was one of the best offensive catchers in the world for a few years. Along with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the trio led a dominant lineup for New York.

He wasn't always the greatest defensive catcher to say the least, but he made up for it with his bat a lot of time time. Over the years, however, that slowed down as well. Eventually, the Yankees let him go and he ended up bouncing around a little bit.

His defensive shortcomings are part of the reason that the Yankees let him go eventually and he never reached his full potential as an all-around baseball player. There was a point (2019) where he reached double-digit errors with 15.

Sanchez also allowed a ton of stolen bases as a catcher. For almost his entire Yankees tenure, he allowed anywhere from 30-50 stolen bases. That just can't happen given the importance of the running game given baseball's recent rules changes. Now, in a decreased role, he will be looking to get another chance here in the 2023-24 off-season while hopefully not getting exposed as much.

The Chicago White Sox should consider giving him a chance in 2024. In 2023, he was very good at the plate as he had a slash of .217/.288/.492 with an OPS of .780. He hit 19 home runs, had 47 RBIs, and 33 runs scored. Those aren't bad numbers for a catcher for only playing in 75 games.

Three of those 75 games came with the New York Mets before he ended up with the San Diego Padres which is where he did most of his damage. Now, as he looks for a new home heading into this year, the White Sox should look at him as a potential low cost, high upside signing who can really hit the snot out of the ball when he is right.

Mitch Garver

Out of everyone that the Chicago White Sox could add to the position of catcher in 2024, Mitch Garver might be the top choice. Entering his age-33 season, he is a tad on the older side of things now but he is still great. If they are trying to win now, Garver is the guy to get.

He spent the first five years of his MLB career with the Minnesota Twins. There, he was a great player and he also got to know the AL Central well. That would be a good thing if he were to come to the White Sox.

Garver was incredible with the Twins. He slashed .256/.341/.494 with an OPS of .835. In 309 games played with them, he hit 54 home runs and had 154 RBIs. All of that production made him a valuable offensive asset, especially for a catcher.

Over the last two years, however, he spent his time with the Texas Rangers. His path to the Rangers was via a trade. Minnesota sent him to Texas in exchange for Ronny Hernandez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. That turned out to be a great trade for Garver and the Rangers.

Yes, he is now a World Series champion after a fantastic 2023 season. He was just what Texas needed as a backstop to help them get that ultimate prize.

His regular season was outstanding. Garver slashed .270/.370/.500 for an OPS of .870. He hit 19 home runs, had 50 RBIs, and 45 runs scored. All of this and his 2.1 WAR came in 87 games so you know he was very good.

If Garver plays a full season with the Twins, he ends up having a WAR over four based on how he played in his 87 games.

He even had an RBI hit in game five of the World Series which helped his team clinch their first-ever title. It was a great year for him and now he is looking to sign a new contract. The White Sox should be all over a player like that.