Last season, the White Sox found themselves in a positive dilemma, attempting to balance time behind the plate between two young players: Kyle Teel, a central piece in the Garrett Crochet trade, and Edgar Quero, who was a part of the Giolito trade to the Angels at the 2023 deadline.
As far as catchers go, both of them are young, major league capable players with ceilings seemingly far above what both were capable of in solid rookie showings. That being said, you might be asking, ‘What’s the problem?’
The worry is, if you split those reps in half in 2026, could you create a scenario in which neither player sees the field consistently enough to reach their potential?
The White Sox enter Spring Training after an offseason where Quero was certainly a topic for trade, though it is unclear if those discussions were anything more than hearing what was on the table. Generally, in my eyes, they have a few realistic options regarding the young Cuban catcher’s future with Teel.
Why keep Edgar Quero?
While there is a general feeling that Teel will be the primary catcher for this White Sox team down the road, that isn’t set in stone. In a solid rookie season, Teel hacked a .273/.375/.411 line in 78 games, as well as finishing tied sixth in WAR on the team. Defensively, he was below average, tied at fourth in the MLB with eight passed balls in under half the season.
Quero’s rookie campaign finished at the plate with a .268/.333/.356 line. He was pretty good, but really struggled in the power department. The reason why was a bit odd, more attributed to launch angle than anything else. Combining that with solid exit velocity led to a lot of ‘loud outs’ that might be fixed by even a slight tweak to his swing. Quero also has an incredible defensive intuition, as shown by his tie for the league lead in pickoffs at five, despite inconsistent framing.
Despite their struggles and positives in the field, the defense of both still leave a lot to be desired. Teel has struggled in blocks but cannot be described as better than average in any other categories. Quero has fantastic awareness, but really suffered when framing. 99% of MLB catchers did a better job than him in that department, which is just about everyone.
Keeping both catchers gives the White Sox the ability to keep two good hitters with potentially a huge amount of room to grow. The team has upside in both and can keep them around to play together, to keep both fresh and be confident in whoever is calling pitches on any given night.
The perks of having two guys with different skills at the plate and behind it are clear, but Chicago needs to find a way to ensure both play. For example, Quero specifically mashed lefties, hitting .357 against them, while Teel struggled at .186. While Quero is better suited to put into a lineup while looking to win, Teel needs to be in those lineups to learn and develop his hit tools versus lefties. While one will obviously catch, the DH spot is still up in the air for the Southsiders.
The addition of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami and the fielding woes of infielder Lenyn Sosa make it so that two bats, in a lightly overcrowded infield, will end up in those spots from time to time. Murakami will always take precedence when not in the field, but Sosa had a lot of power, clobbering 22 home runs last season. He’s a younger hitter the team will want to keep in the lineup, as he began to turn another corner in discipline at the end of 2025. Time will tell if it could work, but there may just not be room for another rotational piece that regularly ends up at the DH.
Why Trade Quero?
After Quero’s first campaign, it is clear he has the potential to explode in the OBP and power department, but struggles defensively in some aspects. The White Sox might have the room for him in the lineup, but if they don’t, they could pull the trigger at the right deal.
The profile of Quero, together with his age, leaves what I believe to be two catcher-needy teams that might be interested: Tampa Bay and San Diego, both of which might have returns the White Sox could want right now.
The Rays themselves have struggled with behind-the-plate production, with their 2025 group posting an MLB-worst .592 OPS. As far as the Padres go, their 2025 tandem of Elías Díaz and Martín Maldonado was one of the least productive in the league. They could be looking for a middleman between them and prospects like Ethan Salas.
From the Rays, the White Sox would be happy to find an MLB-ready guy like RHP Brody Hopkins, depending on perceived value. Hopkins possesses a 97 MPH sinker and a 70 grade slider, which would fit in well with a White Sox starting staff unsure of who will lead the tail end of it. This trade would likely have to include something else from Tampa Bay, maybe a less ready prospect, to work.
If a longer-term prospect was desired, the Padres could throw LHP Kash Mayfield or Kruz Schoolcraft, both of whom would be excellent returns. The pair are young, towering southpaws who touch the upper 90s, but would maybe garner more than just Quero from Chicago.
The White Sox also have two interesting catchers who could replace Quero in this hypothetical: Korey Lee and newly acquired Drew Romo. Lee performed well last season in a limited sample, and Romo is a former first-round pick with phenomenal defensive ability, with very little time in the big leagues.
What’s the Best Option for Chicago?
For the future, my opinion is that they should hang on to Quero for now. He is a bit of an outlier in a crowded lineup, but at 22, it’s not like he couldn’t develop more and take huge steps forward. Sticking with him as he grows could be highly useful, whether he becomes a key part of the lineup or a piece the team can ship off for more if Teel is as excellent as projected, assuming there is no way to keep Quero in as often as makes sense.
As far as 2026 goes, there might be a need for a third catcher if issues with catcher defense impact the team. There are options in Charlotte, as another pairing of catchers in Romo or Lee could come up to reinforce a group struggling. Realistically, I think it’s a far cry that a third catcher would make the opening day roster.
Down the road, if it’s clear, it would make sense to move him; they might try a change of positions to left or right field. A swap of Teel out into the corners makes more sense logistically, but if he develops as projected, to move him would be wrong for his confidence. You want to keep your starting catcher there, unless there is a clear better defensive choice.
I hope to see the pairing develop this year in its own right. Both are extremely similar in the most general sense, looking only at hitting and fielding, but each has its own niches it can carve out to grow further.
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Featured Photo: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Great insights, Carson. This is awesome.