The most painful trade the White Sox could make at the Winter Meetings amid rebuild

The Winter Meetings kick off this evening in Orlando, Florida and all 30 MLB teams will be represented and ready to deal. The White Sox, who got on the board earlier this week with a free-agent deal with LHP Anthony Kay, will be approaching the meetings looking to be opportunistic. After another 100-loss season, the team is unlikely to be a big spender, but will look for opportunities to improve their roster. While they aren’t necessarily “shopping” players on the big league roster, they’ll certainly be listening to see if they’re made an offer they can’t refuse. One name that’s generated early offseason trade buzz is young catcher Kyle Teel. In my opinion, trading Teel at this stage would be a painful and crucial mistake. 

The White Sox first acquired Teel last winter in the trade that sent ace Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox. Teel, a former first round pick by Boston, had shown promise at each minor league level, and began his White Sox career with Triple-A Charlotte. In 50 games with Charlotte, Teel hit .295 with eight home runs and an .886 OPS. He earned the big league callup and made his debut on June 6th. In the majors, Teel picked up right where he left off, hitting .273 with a .786 OPS in 78 games at the major league level. Teel's .375 on base percentage ranked third among qualified rookies in the American League. Defensively, Teel graded out around average, so there’s certainly room to grow in that department. He spent a lot of his early time splitting reps with Edgar Quero, but both catchers were playing regularly by the end of the season. 

Trading away Teel this offseason makes very little sense for the White Sox

While one year is a small sample size, Kyle Teel emerged as a core piece of the White Sox lineup moving forward. In Teel and Quero, the White Sox feel they have two good, young options that will hold down a crucial position for years to come. While the possibility of trading one of them to address another position of need exists, I think Teel projects as a more well-rounded player and I’d trade Quero before him. I think Chris Getz and the White Sox likely agree with this sentiment, and the probability of trading either catcher after just one season doesn’t seem terribly high, but teams are asking about Teel and the White Sox will certainly listen. 

My Winter Meeting wishlist for the White Sox includes another starting pitcher, a first baseman, two outfielders, and bullpen help. It does not include trading away a potential franchise player at an important position. While there are trade packages for Teel that I can acknowledge may be better for the team in the long run, it would be a confusing and painful decision that would leave me questioning the team’s direction. It’s time for the White Sox to start ascending toward contention, and there simply isn’t a world where the 2026 team is better without Kyle Teel. 

There are a lot of moves that Chris Getz still needs to make this offseason, but a trade of his young catcher certainly isn’t one of them.