White Sox latest roster move could signify a bigger trade is coming soon

White Sox fans getting bored and restless got their long-awaited move earlier this week. Well… sort of. On Thursday, the White Sox announced they’d claimed catcher Drew Romo on waivers from the New York Mets and designated infielder Ben Cowles for assignment. On the surface, it looks like an insignificant claim to add to the team’s depth, but a deeper look reveals a sign that something more could be coming soon. 

Romo, 24, was selected 35th overall by the Colorado Rockies in the 2020 draft. Romo rose through the minor league system, posting solid offense numbers in 2021, 2023, and 2024. He made his big league debut for the Rockies in 2024, but went just 9-for-51 with a .443 OPS in a 16-game stint. Injuries limited Romo to just 65 minor league games and three big league appearances in 2025. He was designated for assignment by Colorado following the season and claimed by the Baltimore Orioles, who attempted to pass him through waivers and stash him in Triple-A, but lost him to the Mets. The Mets waived him as well, and he’ll now join the White Sox 40-man roster, marking his third different team this offseason. 

The White Sox have an excellent tandem of young catchers at the big league level, so it feels like Romo is nothing more than a depth piece and his path to the major league roster is certainly difficult. With minor league options on his contract, he could easily be sent to Charlotte for depth. But I wonder if the addition of another catcher to the 40-man could be a precursor to a trade of Korey Lee or even Edgar Quero. 

Could a trade of Korey Lee or Edgar Quero be coming?

Lee, 27, played just 26 games with the White Sox last season after enduring through 125 the year before. His sample-size was significantly limited, but Lee posted a career-best .762 OPS in 2025 and looked more polished at the plate. Defensively, he graded poorly in blocking and framing, but was among the best in the league in pop time and threw out base stealers effectively. Lee has no minor league options remaining for 2026, and with Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero both expected to be on the roster and receive regular playing time, he may not have a spot on the team. The White Sox could elect to carry three catchers on the big league roster, especially if Teel and Quero will regularly spend time in the lineup together, but they’d lose flexibility on the bench, and the more realistic option may be a trade of Lee.  If Lee is dealt, Romo could begin the season in Charlotte and get the call to the big leagues in the case of an injury. 

At 27 and without a track record of big league success, Lee is unlikely to fetch a large return in a deal, but perhaps a team in need of catching depth is willing to send a low-level pitching prospect or swap another fringe big leaguer at a different position. 

A more-intriguing, but significantly less-likely scenario could be a trade of young catcher Edgar Quero instead. The White Sox love Quero and he had a productive rookie season, but questions remain about his defense and ability to drive the baseball consistently. Kyle Teel looked like the more polished catching prospect, and trading Quero would allow Teel to take over the everyday duties and would land a much more significant return than moving Lee. The right-handed hitting Lee could make a solid platoon partner with Teel and play against left-handers. It would certainly take a haul to convince Chris Getz to move on from Quero after a promising rookie season, but it could help the White Sox fill multiple needs elsewhere and teams have reportedly been checking in about the possibility this offseason. 

Whether the addition of Drew Romo is simply a depth addition or a signal of something bigger imminent is not yet known, but it’s clear the White Sox work this offseason is far from finished. With holes on the roster to fill, Chris Getz and the White Sox certainly have more moves in store.