The Chicago teams have lined up on a minor trade. The White Sox acquired catcher Matt Thaiss from the Cubs for cash, the teams announced. The Sox had an opening on the 40-man roster, so there was no corresponding move.
Thaiss was only an offseason acquisition for the Cubs. They landed him from the Angels in a cash trade last month. He had a path to backup job behind Miguel Amaya at the time. That’s no longer on the table. Chicago signed Carson Kelly to a two-year free agent deal last week. Amaya and Kelly will split the catching reps at Wrigley Field.
Kelly’s signing made a Thaiss move all but inevitable. He’s out of options, so the Cubs couldn’t send him to the minors without putting him on waivers. Teams rarely carry three catchers on the active roster for an entire season. The Cubs could have carried Thaiss into Spring Training as injury insurance, but they’d likely have been squeezed into a roster move if their top two catchers were healthy on Opening Day.
Trading Thaiss now gives him some clarity and opens a spot on the Cubs’ 40-man roster, which had been at capacity. Thaiss has a decent chance at breaking camp on the South Side. Korey Lee had a .210/.244/.347 showing in a career-high 394 plate appearances this past season. Chuckie Robinson, who has 51 MLB appearances and turned 30 this week, was the only other catcher on the 40-man roster.
The Sox have a pair of highly-regarded catching prospects, Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, who aren’t far off major league readiness. They were each the headliners of recent trades. Teel led a four-prospect return from the Red Sox in last week’s Garrett Crochet deal, while Quero was the big piece in the 2023 deadline deal that sent Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to the Halos. Both players should make their big league debuts next season, though they might each open the season at Triple-A Charlotte.
Thaiss, a left-handed hitter, brings more on-base ability than Lee provides. He’s a career .208/.313/.342 hitter who posted a .204/.323/.299 slash across 186 plate appearances with the Angels this year. Thaiss takes plenty of pitches, which allows him to work a lot of walks but contributes to lofty strikeout rates. He has never graded as a particularly strong defender, which led the Angels to move him from catcher to first base early in his minor league career. He moved back behind the dish in 2022 but grades as a below-average pitch framer with subpar arm strength.
Stove is hot!
That’s their new starting catcher just like maldonado
He probably pairs with Korey Lee until Quero and Teel are ready to take over.
Yeah-and Teel is the guy to count on. It’s nice to see Getz and his advisors valued upgrading D for catcher as vital for rebuild. Quero hopefully can hit his way to value being a DH/backup C that improves enough behind the plate. Too short for 1B.
The Sox must have offers for one of their catchers.
Nah, this is just depth until Teel or Quero is ready. Then he’ll be traded for peanuts or released. Guys acquired for cash aren’t blocking anyone.
@noneck You must’ve not seen thaiss catch. The only thing he blocks is the batters ability to swing. He gets called for catchers interference all the time.
Then again, you don’t even know how to reply to the right comments.
The cubs get Tucker, we get Thaiss, who I’m pretty sure is Max Stassi. I’d like to think Thaiss is a placeholder for Teel or Quero, but the Sox tend to ruin promising prospects instead of developing them. So C of the future Lee and his brand new backup will likely play most of the season since the Sox can’t make them much worse.
Thaiss touring of chicago is complete – how long he stays with the SOX as tipsters mentioned he wants to tour hometown areas of New York or Maryland/DC soon.
The rare intra-city trade between Cubs and Sox.
This is like the 6th one since 2017
6th? Not that I doubt your word, but care to list them? I remember 2 since 2017, Quintana for Cease/Eloy, and Kimbrel for Madrigal.
Tepera from the Cubs to the Sox for a nobody prospect was a minor deal. 2021 I think. Before those though, maybe John Garland?
Jon Garland trade was in 1998, definitely before 2017.
My condolences to Matt Thaiss.
It must be depressing AF to get traded to the White Sox.
look at it this way he may have a better shot to start for a team that may not win 50 games.
Not at all. For players such as this, it’s a real chance to actually play and not just sit on the bench, waiting. Sure, there’s no chance the team is going anywhere but if he impresses the team with his talent, he could be traded to a better team during the season. So, not depressing at all.
fermier: That’s what the Sox are, a place for borderline, at best, players to showcase their remaining talent in hope they’ll get flipped anywhere else in the summer.
The guy probably would prefer playing time over being the third catcher for the Cubs.
This is like the 6th one since 2017
4th, not 6th.
Who got old man Potter to drop some cash?
I wonder if the Cubs got more than they paid the Angels last month
If the Cubs actually traded $1 to get Thaiss, what could they have possibly gotten in this deal?
End of an era….
@cubby. They got the dollar back with some pocket lint.
Once again, the “balanced” schedule will favor the other four teams in the AL Central.
Kabong: Not their fault Reinsdorf refuses to field a competitive team.
avenger65: I agree, but I wish the good old boys who run the game took such things seriously. Owners shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this crap. With all the money in MLB, we shouldn’t have teams playing in minor-league ballparks and/or owners who refuse to field a competitive ballclub. I feel sorry for White Sox fans. As difficult as it is to fathom, the Sox might be worse in 2025.
Sadly, this trade for a .200 hitting catcher actually upgrades their backup catcher, enabling them to cut Chucky Robinson off the 40-man before ST. Wowza!
Reinsdorf knows a financial hurt is coming, so he will contract the payroll to the minimum level while the fan base continues to contract, perhaps significantly. Regardless, their ownership group will ensure a guaranteed profit north of $100M, while the value of the franchise also increases. It’s in preparation to sell the team.
@rotofool: Benintendi has 3yrs/49.3 left on his deal. His rebound after the break and the expected elevated cost of FA vet outfielders like Santander/Teoscar may help JR’s edict for Getz to dump most of it. If a club sees him as an ok 12mil per year alternative, that plays to increasing its bottom line (besides a Robert trade of course for couple good prospects).
El Kabong
we shouldn’t have teams playing in minor-league ballparks and/or owners who refuse to field a competitive ballclub.
==============================
One minor league park issue can”t always be remedied. There are no extra parks, so if one gets knocked out by a hurricane, and a team relocates, nothing can be done.
And it is about 100% impossible for all teams to be competitive. There will be at least 6 last-place teams every every year.
Joe. It is possible for teams to play in Major League Parks. It’s one thing for a hurricane to wreck a park, It’s quite another for the A’s situation. That park was a disaster for years. You move the team by planning with 5 years left to go on the lease. But that would take planning and execution which is not really in Manfreds wheelhouse.The Tampa situation could have been remedied by them just paying the insurance on the park instead of trying to cheap it out when an election was coming up and not dragging their feet on the bond issue. But we all know baseball makes hardly any money and the excuses will flow like water. Such is life.
I agree with you cwsOverhaul, Benitendi’s rebound may have been the lone bright spot of their 2nd half. If they could get a single organizational top 30 prospect, I’d want Getz to dump him. Might take another 1/2 season of production in 2025 to move him.
Do the cubs have an actual plan or are they just winging it?!
Did you read the article? The Cubs signed Carson Kelly, which means Thaiss isn’t needed. They have been making moves to improve their team.
They have a very definite plan.
Obviously a clearer path to playing time. He hopefully regains his swing that made him a first round pick.
@halosheavenjj. Heck he could even play first or DH with the whitesox. It’s definitely his last shot before going to the kbo.
Wonder if the Sox will acquire a player who I’ve heard of this offseason. Not holding my puff on this one.
Gotta wonder how much cash was in this deal. Can’t be much with the lack of prospects being handed over from the White Sox. Doesn’t matter that much though, as it’ll juts help the Cubs in their search for Starting Pitching
Maybe the Cubs catching situation isn’t completely settled now that Jed has a few bucks. Well the next thing you know………….Ole Jed’s……
They are set as they can be this far in advance of opening day. Thaiss obviously had no options left and no chance of making the roster.
There will be a handful of minor league type guys shuttled in and out while Ballesteros and Aliendo get time in the minors.
Opened up a 40 man spot (still a good group that can get dumped) and I’m sure the cash coming back was just as non-significant as the cash they gave up last week or so.
…..a millionaire? Not sure this crowd is cultured enough for that reference.
Kyle Teel was on Foul Territory today. Kratz and AJ were trying to tell Teel that he was almost a lock to make the team out of Spring Training. Teel wisely downplayed that notion. The White Sox acquisition of Thaiss all but guarantees that Teel will not be fast-tracked. And he shouldn’t be. Teel’s debut can and should happen later in the summer of ’25…
The feeling of being traded to the White Sox from the Cubs must be like the feeling that General Zod, Ursa, and Non felt in Superman II when they were sentenced to banishment into the Phantom Zone and they were in that glass prison, spinning through the universe, screaming for revenge.
Probably the opposite. Feeling of increased opportunity to determine one’s fate in prolonging MLB career.
Thank you, Roger Ebert!
From Angels Stadium to Wrigley Field to Rate Field in a matter of like 7 weeks.
More like AAAA-to MLB-a beer league team that could probably lose to most local High schools…
Well my point was to point out that the White Sox dropped the Guaranteed from their stadium name. It’s now called just “Rate Field”
Either way, point still stands
White Sox didn’t change the name of the stadium … The company that bought the naming rights to the stadium is the one that changed their name.
Rsox: Which is why Reinsdorf won’t get a new stadium. His team could play on a high school field and still not fill up the portable metal bleachers.
Probably IS kind of a fitting to stop with ANY kind of Guarantees about this team.
Not so fast now! Cool your jets and relax. It’s going to be a very L-O-N-G season.
How many Wold Series have the great cubbies won in the last 100 years ? Just as manny as the White Sox 1 . So talk to me when you win your second in another 100 years.
Good luck living another 100 years. Unless you have a high level of income like Ricky Bobby I wouldn’t expect to live to 250 years old, even with advances in modern science.
It’s not like the Sox did much better in World Series competition. They went 88 years between titles and have sniffed the playoffs much since their last WS appearance 20 years ago. Cubs have as many playoff appearances since their WS and that was 11 later than the Sox!
He’s a decent backup catcher at best. Having two good catching prospects is a good problem.
Can’t be worse than Chuckie or Maldy.
@aiden. You will be surprised he’s a terrible catcher.
But the Wsox already have two good catcher prospects, so once Quero is ready to go they can DFA him.
Luis Robert and Chris flexen to the Phillies, Sox take back Pineda. Sox get Crawford and Abel. Win win. Even take back castellenos for more
Except Flexen is a free agent.
Castellanos+Abel for a lottery ticket is exactly both teams need to do. I don’t see much in Abel, but he was a high pick. The WS shouldn’t spend money on anyone, unless they can get some additional famr help.
So long Matt, we barely knew you. Oh wait, we never even got to meet you.
That’s going to be the story for the White Sox until they start getting out of the tryouts phase of this rebuild.
Acoss1331 — The tryout phase isn’t just about ballplayers. It’s about every aspect of the organization. As unfair as this may sound, there’s no clear indicator that the proper leadership is in place. Trying times for everyone involved.
To who?
The sharks in the AL Central circling them eating up win after win.
Come on Getz-1 more catcher and we can field a catcher at every infield position!!