Chris Getz has been fairly busy this offseason despite being entrenched in a rebuild. His biggest move of the offseason was landing a pair of top-100 prospects in a four-player return for Garrett Crochet. However, he has also supplemented the roster with veterans on cheap contracts.
Getz inked Matt Thaiss, Cam Booser, Mike Tauchman, Austin Slater, Bryse Wilson, Josh Rojas, and Martin Perez each signed a one-year deal that could make them attractive rental pieces for other teams at the trade deadline if they get off to a hot start. Of that group here are three names to keep an eye on at this year’s trade deadline.
Matt Thaiss
Expect to see a lot of Matt Thaiss behind the plate early in the season. The 29-year-old is the front-runner to be one of two catchers on the Opening Day roster with Korey Lee.
But with top-100 prospects Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel knocking on the door in Triple-A, the White Sox may want to free up those spots as the season progresses, making Thaiss an ideal trade candidate. The catching position is a strength for the first time since the 2020 season when Yasmani Grandal and James McCann locked down the White Sox backstop.
The White Sox acquired Thaiss for cash from the Cubs in December. Despite being a career .208/.313/.324 hitter, the 29-year-old has managed to last six seasons in the show, all with the Los Angeles Angels.
One of the reasons that Thaiss has been to stick around the league despite his limited offensive production is because he gets on base. Thaiss owns a career 12.6 percent walk rate and posted a 15 percent mark in 186 plate appearances last season. He also had a chase rate of just 22 percent which was among the best in baseball.
The other reason Thaiss could be an attractive trade candidate is his defense behind the plate. Defense is one of the things that Chris Getz was looking for in a catcher to pair with his young pitching staff. Thaiss had four blocks above average last season which placed him in the MLB’s 75th percentile. He also has experience playing left field and first, second, and third base.
Mike Tauchman
Like Thaiss, Mike Tauchman has a knack for getting on base. In seven MLB seasons, the former Bradley Brave owns a nearly 13 percent walk rate. Last season his 13.4 percent walk rate ranked in the top 98 percentile in baseball.
Despite spending a season in Korea in 2022, Tauchman has appeared on contending teams before. He played three seasons with the New York Yankees, appearing in the American League Wild Card Series in 2020. He made over 350 trips to the plate in each of the last two seasons for a Chicago Cubs team that was condensing for an NL Central Division title and Wild Card birth.
Tauchman also can play all three outfield positions. In 2019 he ranked eighth in the American League with a 1.7 defensive WAR. On the offensive side, Tachman is a career .241 hitter who is averaging 11 homers a season. In a hitter-friendly park like Chicago, those power numbers should only improve. Tauchman will likely be implemented in a platoon role with Austin Slater. Slater hits lefties well, setting up the left-handed Tauchman for starts against predominantly right-handed starters.
While the lack of lineup protection is a concern, the White Sox represent a perfect low-pressure environment for the Palatine native to thrive.
Cam Booser
Relievers tend to be a hot commodity around the trade deadline, and the White Sox have shown a willingness to deal them away. Last season Getz decimated an already weak relief corps by trading away Gregory Santos, Michael Kopech, and Tanner Banks.
Like much of the bullpen, Booser represents a bit of a question mark. The 32-year-old southpaw was pitching in independent ball for the Chicago Dogs as recently as 2021. Booser made his MLB debut just a few weeks shy of his 32nd birthday. After getting stuck in High-A, Booser left baseball to become a carpenter in Seattle. But after a solid showing in Independent Ball the Boston Red Sox gave him an opportunity.
Despite the questions surrounding Booser, outside of Prelander Berroa, he offers the most potential trade value in the White Sox bullpen. He offers a three-pitch mix that includes a cutter, sweeper, and four-seam fastball that averages 95 mph. During his rookie season, he posted a 3.38 ERA in 42.2 innings while striking out 43. He allowed 16 free passes, which helped account for a 1.33 WHIP. However, despite opponents hitting .250 off of Booser, he did a good job limiting the damage. Opppontes struggled to barrel up Booser’s pitches who had above-average grades in expected batting average, expected ERA, and chase rates.
FanGraphs projects that Booser throw 48 innings en route to a very solid 4.02 ERA next season. For context, Tanner Banks owned a 4.13 ERA in 48 innings with the White Sox before he was traded to the Phillies last season. On top of that, FanGraphs believes that Booser will own the second-highest most strikeouts per nine innings on the team at 9.3.
A hard-throwing lefty is a valuable trade chip, and with some time in the Brian Bannister and Ethan Katz pitching lab, Booser could be set for a significant jump in year two.
