Coming into 2025, the catcher position was one to watch for the Chicago White Sox.
That should be an odd statement considering White Sox catchers put up -2.4 fWAR in 2024, making it one of the worst position groups in all of baseball. But an offseason trade for prospect Kyle Teel and the emergence of Edgar Quero has quickly made it one of the deepest and most intriguing position groups in the organization.
the best and worst teams at each position this season (fWAR) pic.twitter.com/FcukLXD3Tk
— BrooksGate (@Brooks_Gate) August 5, 2024
Quero, acquired from the Angels in the Lucas Giolito trade at the 2023 trade deadline, struggled toward the back half of 2023 as one of the youngest players at the AA level. But 2024 was a resurgent year from Quero, as he raked to an .823 OPS in 72 games in Double-A Birmingham before a midseason promotion to AAA, where he put up an even better .845 OPS to finish the season. The White Sox had him as part of their major league taxi squad in September, meaning he was one injury from a call up to the majors.
Kyle Teel got off to a similar start in 2024 in the Red Sox organization, with a .298 average and an .852 OPS in 84 games at Double-A Portland before his own midseason promotion to AAA. Teel’s Triple-A numbers weren’t quite as gaudy as Quero's, but he still managed a .717 OPS in 28 games in Worcester.
With Korey Lee returning after a 12 homer 2024 and the veteran free agent addition of Matt Thaiss, it seemed likely that both Quero and Teel would begin the season at Triple-A Charlotte. Despite a very strong spring from Teel in particular, the White Sox did break camp with Lee and Thaiss behind the plate.
Both Lee and Thaiss got off to good starts at the plate, with Lee starting the season 5-15 with a couple of walks, good for a .412 OBP and a .879 OPS.
Things got interesting, however, when Lee went down with a sprained ankle in an April 10th game against the Guardians. Despite veteran Omar Narvaez getting the original call-up, he only lasted a few games before the White Sox made the move and brought up Top-100 prospect Edgar Quero for his first taste of big league action.
Quero has been a pleasant addition for the White Sox early to begin his career. Coming out of a weekend series win over the Astros, Quero has played in 16 games with a .340 batting average, .446 on-base percentage, .851 OPS, and eight RBIs.
Defensively, Quero has thrown out 4 of the 9 runners that tried to steal on him and 0.5 fWAR was is the third best mark on the team.
Getz Update On Korey Lee
Prior to the beginning of the most recent homestand, White Sox GM Chris Getz provided an update on Korey Lee, saying that he was a couple of weeks away from returning.
While his return isn’t necessarily imminent, the White Sox need to start thinking about what they’re going to do at catcher when Lee is ready to return.
Matt Thaiss continues to produce, and is currently the top position player on the team in fWAR, so simply DFA’ing him doesn’t seem like a realistic option. Edgar Quero has looked like an impact player on both sides of the ball, so returning him to Charlotte won’t, and shouldn’t, happen. The White Sox may have to get creative with their roster.
Korey Lee to Charlotte?
One possibility is the White Sox simply assigning Korey Lee to AAA. Lee had started off the season strong after spending the offseason working on his swing. While he possesses a lot of raw power, 2024 was a struggle for him. I certainly still have questions about whether or not he will be able to sustain his hot start.
Lee does have minor league options remaining, so sending him to Charlotte for the time being could be the simplest option.
Trade a Veteran?
Given the hot start for both Matt Thaiss and Korey Lee, one potential option is finding a trade partner.
Many major league teams may be looking for a solid backup, or even starting catcher, and may be looking to jump the market and get their guy early. The White Sox could look to cash in on the good performance and add to their already strong farm system.
Carry Three Catchers?
Another possible option for the White Sox is to send another position-player to Charlotte and carry three catchers on the roster. This would likely involve one of the catchers DHing frequently.
Both Getz and manager Will Venable have made it clear that they enjoy being able to rotate the designated hitter day-to-day, so this may not be the preferred option, but it’s a way to keep all three productive hitters on the Major League roster and get them at bats.
This option would also hinder Chicago's ability to bring shining prospect Tim Elko up to the big league roster. In order for both Elko and Andrew Vaughn to co-exist on the roster, one would need to DH regularly.
There is a lot for Chris Getz to consider when deciding what to do with the roster upon Korey Lee’s return. These are just a few of the possibilities. Of course, another injury to a catcher could make the decision null, but you can’t ever assume or predict injuries.. Another decision will be imminent when it’s time for Kyle Teel to head to Chicago, but that’s a thought experiment for another day.