The White Sox hooked up with the Braves again and traded for a veteran catcher

Major League Baseball was stunned on Saturday afternoon when Shohei Ohtani announced that he would go to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Chicago White Sox were never even trying to be in on him given their desire to decrease payroll and seemingly punt on the next couple of seasons.

The White Sox would just never be involved with a player like that. Jerry Reinsdorf is too cheap of an owner to make a move like that. He’d rather see his executives bring in lower-level (cheaper) guys and try to win anyway. As we have seen, it mostly doesn’t work. 

A move of that low-end caliber was made just a little bit after the Ohtani news. It is a little embarrassing that the White Sox announced it on a day like that, but this is who they are. 

The White Sox acquired catcher Matt Stassi and cash considerations from the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later. Stassi will come in and play catcher for them but we don’t know who will eventually head to the Braves in return. 

The Chicago White Sox are bringing in a veteran catcher for 2024

Stassi is a veteran guy who has been around for a while. He was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the fourth round of the 2009 MLB Draft but he never ended up playing for them. He was traded to the Houston Astros where he would play for parts of seven years. 

Houston eventually traded him to the Los Angeles Angels where he had been from 2019-2022. The Angels traded him to the Braves last week and now they flipped him to the White Sox. It’s been a wild time for him. 

Stassi missed all of the 2023 season as he stayed home to take care of his premature son Jackson. With his son now healthy, he is expected to play in 2024. That is now to be with the White Sox. 

Yasmani Grandal and Seby Zavala are gone so the White Sox couldn’t just rely on prospects for their catcher position. They needed to go out and get a veteran and Stassi will be that guy. 

Over his 10 year major league career, Stassi has hit .212 with 41 home runs and 128 RBIs in 403 games. He will surely bring some steady veteran presence to an organization that needs it badly. He'll be a great asset if he can catch the ball well for the pitching staff. 

Again, it is a typical White Sox move. However, this one could end up working out for them. We’ll see how Stassi lands on his feet after missing the 2023 season.