The White Sox have a pair of potential long-term starting catchers. Kyle Till and Edgar Cuero They were highly regarded prospects who showed potential as rookies. Teel has been particularly good since being called up in early June.
Teams inquired about Chicago’s willingness to trade either of the duo early in the offseason. It looks like the conversation hasn’t gone far yet. Teel and Quero now appear certain to start the season with the White Sox. This forces them to decide on a third catcher. Corey LeeHe himself is a former first-round pick who could be pushed out of the picture.
Lee has exhausted his last minor league option in 2025. The Sox should keep him on their MLB roster at this point. Teel and Quero have options, but don’t risk getting sent off. In his first 78 MLB games, Till hit .273/.375/.411. Quero hit .268/.333/.356 in 111 contests.
Coach Will Venable commented on the capture plan Monday. “I really think it will take care of itself,” the second-year skipper told reporters (including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin and The Chicago Tribune’s LaMond Pope). “We know Kyle likes to catch and hit against right-handers. We know Edgar can be the DH. There will be two guys to fill the DH spot instead of a right-hander.”
Till, a left-handed hitter, hit .290/.388/.448 against right-handed hitters. The Sox gave him 52 plate appearances against left-handers, in which he hit .186 with no home runs and struck out 20 times. Quero is a switch hitter with much better numbers on the right flank. He hit .357/.394/.457 against left-handers compared to a .220/.301/.301 line against left-handers.
Venable said the Sox will use Quero behind the plate more often when opposing left-handers are on the mound. That would allow them to spell Teel against left-handers, but the coach added it wouldn’t be strictly a platoon. The Sox are still rebuilding and probably don’t want to lock either player firmly into a platoon role for their first two seasons in the big leagues.
Is there room left on Lee Myung-bak’s roster? Most teams prefer not to have three catchers, primarily when using a four-man bench. Assuming Quero scores significant runs as a designated hitter against right-handers, a third catcher would give Venable more in-game flexibility. If they want Teel to pinch-hit against a tough left-handed reliever, they can stick Lee behind the plate instead of moving Quero there (which would cost them the designated hitter). It’s also possible that another team will claim Lee if the Sox decide to waive him after camp.
Seung-yeop Lee did not receive much attention as he had only 40 at-bats in 25 MLB games last season. He hit a solid .255/.313/.405 in Triple-A, but is a career .193/.234/.321 hitter against big league pitching. As a promising player, Seung-yeop Lee had solid defense. Statcast hasn’t looked favorably on his pitch-framing work in the major leagues, but he has upside and seems to fit in well with the pitching staff.
The Padres reportedly had some interest in him last summer. They stopped trading. freddy firmin In Kansas City instead. San Diego’s already thin catching depth has been hurt by injuries, but they may be better off signing veterans to minor league deals. their backup catcher Luis Campusano Also, since there are no options, if you want to waive Campusano, you’ll have to consider Lee as a final upgrade.
It is speculated that Lee’s former Houston team could be looking for a backup catcher after the loss. Victor Caratini By free contract. The Rays, Rockies, or Mariners are other potential teams looking to upgrade the #2 catching spot on the depth chart.
