The Chicago White Sox have been busy as the trade deadline approaches, and they’ve addressed one of their important needs with around an hour to go until the 5pm deadline. Former second-overall pick Joey Bart is headed to the White Sox from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for RHP Duncan Davitt, who the White Sox designated for assignment earlier today. The deal lands the White Sox a clear upgrade at the catcher position for a low price as the team hopes for starter Kyle Teel to return before the end of the season.
The White Sox finally get the catching help they've been looking for, acquiring Joey Bart from the Braves for RHP Duncan Davitt, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 3, 2026
Bart, 29, was drafted second overall by the San Francisco Giants in 2018 out of Georgia Tech. Despite his high draft pedigree, Bart didn’t get a ton of extended runway in San Francisco, playing just 162 games combined in his first four big league seasons. Bart was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the 2024 season, where he posted a strong .799 OPS in 80 games, leading many to believe he’d finally put it all together. Unfortunately, Bart has failed to take off offensively in either of the last two seasons. Through 41 games between the Pirates and Braves this season, Bart has hit four home runs with a .680 OPS. Not a great number, but a significant upgrade over the backstops the White Sox are currently fielding.
Joey Bart represents a low-cost upgrade at a premium position
Defensively, Bart has improved a lot over the past couple seasons. He’s closer to average than being a genuine plus defender, but Edgar Quero has been one of the worst defensive catchers in the league this season, and Bart is an upgrade offensively over Drew Romo despite playing similar defense.
Duncan Davitt, who the White Sox acquired as part of the deal for Adrian Houser at last year’s deadline, struggled in Triple-A this season. He pitched just two innings in the White Sox bullpen, including the 9th inning of Sunday’s win over the Rays, and was set to be available on waivers if not traded. With Bart’s addition to the 40-man roster, the White Sox seem to have at least one more roster move coming. The team is still potentially in the market for a starting pitcher as the trade deadline approaches.
It’s not the big-name catching addition many White Sox fans were hoping for, but Bart represents a clear upgrade at a low cost at a position the team desperately needed. He’s likely to take over the primary starting job, with Edgar Quero headed back to Charlotte and Drew Romo relegated to a backup role.
The hour of the deadline is nearly upon us, but we’ll see if Chris Getz has any more moves up his sleeve before the clock expires.
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