Chris Getz opened the Winter Meetings by saying the White Sox wanted to add a right fielder. A few hours later they got their man, agreeing to terms with free agent outfielder Mike Tauchman.
Tauchman inked a one-year deal worth $1.950 million with an extra $1 million in incentives built in. According to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score the contract also includes a $250,000 “relocation bonus” if Tauchman is traded.
Right field has been a glaring hole on the South Side for over a decade (depending on how you view the Avisail Garcia era). While the 34-year-old Tauchman certainly isn’t a long-term solution in right field, he does present an upgrade from what the White Sox have trotted out in years past.
Gavin Sheets, who was non-tendered weeks earlier, committed 10 errors and had -22 Defensive Runs Saved during his time as an outfielder, while the presumptive starter in 2025, Dominic Fletcher, hit just .206/.252/.256 across 241 plate appearances last season.
The signing allows Tauchman another opportunity to play in his hometown state. The Palatine native played his college ball at Bradley University in Peoria before getting selected by the Rockies in the 10th round of the 2013 draft.
Tauchman owns a career .241/.344/.374 slash line. While those numbers don’t jump off the page he checks a lot of the boxes that the White Sox are looking for. The seven-year MLB veteran has over 100 games experience in all three outfield positions, is a left-handed bat, and gets on-base.
Tauchman was recently non-tendered after two seasons with the Cubs. The move came as a bit of a surprise after Tauchman slashed .250/.360/.372 during his 751 plate appearances for the North Siders. He also proved to be an excellent clutch hitter, with a .800 OPS in close games. It was a drastic improvement from the .178/.286/.283 line he posted in 65 games with the Giants in 2021 before going overseas to play a short stint in Korea in 2022.
Last season Tauchman posted a 13.4 percent walk rate, which ranked inside the top two percent of MLB hitters. The year before drew free passes at a 14 percent clip which ranked in the top six percent of MLB hitters.
The White Sox did not control the strike zone well in 2024. They ranked last in the MLB in walks (395), OBP (.278), and owned the fourth-highest chase rate. It’s one of the reasons they added free-agent outfielder Austin Slater, who like Tauchman, has a good understanding of the strikezone. Slater owns a career 10.6 percent walk rate and posted a 12.3 percent mark last season. However, Slater is more of a platoon player who historically only hits lefties.
Tauchman could be the other half of that platoon in right field. The bulk of Tauchman’s at-bats last season came against righties. Of his 350 plate appearances, just 69 were against lefties. However, Tauchman hit left-handers slightly better batting .286 with a .713 OPS vs. a .238 average and .725 OPS against righties. However, six of his seven home runs came against southpaws.
With Tauchman in the mix, the White Sox outfield picture suddenly becomes crowded. The front office has already made it clear they would like to trade Luis Robert Jr. Robert’s name has already been heavily involved in trade rumors, with Chuck Garfein reporting that six teams have already expressed interest. Andrew Benintendi has also been floated around as a potential trade candidate, but with three years and over $49 million remaining on his contract, he will be a much tougher player to move.
If the White Sox are able to deal Robert before the season, Benintendi figures to retain his post in left-field, while Dominic Fletcher takes over center field spot and a platoon of Tauchman and Slater cover the right-field duties.
While Tauchman provides a veteran presence and offensive upgrade his defense is slightly below average. But Getz has indicated the White Sox will not be spending heavily in free agency this offseason. Signing Tauchman is a good use of his limited resources. Having him paired with Slater or Fletcher makes for a respectable platoon situation in right field until a permanent long-term solution can be found.
