It came down to the wire, but ultimately the White Sox avoided burning Korey Lee's last minor league option.
Instead, they traded catcher Matt Thaiss to the Rays this afternoon in exchange for Triple-A outfielder Dru Baker. Then, the Sox merely activated Lee from the injured list as a corresponding move after an 11-game rehab stint at Charlotte, where the 26-year-old hit .302/.375/.465.
The nearing end of Lee's rehab assignment from a left ankle sprain was set to force the White Sox to assert a hierarchy between their pair of palatable veteran backstop options in Lee and Thaiss, and the two top-100 catching prospects that also demanded starter-level reps in Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel. But an escape route was already in the works, as rumblings of the Rays looking in on Thaiss bubbled up 10 days ago, with Baker already being the specific name mentioned as the potential return.
After shortening his swing path over the offseason and into spring training, Thaiss had shaved almost 10 percentage points off his career strikeout rate this year, further exploding his traditionally high walk rate. With a goofy-looking .212/.382/.294 batting line and well-established blocking skills, Thaiss represents an upgrade to the non-entity level of offensive contributions the Rays had been receiving from Ben Rortvedt, who has been backing up free-agent signing Danny Jansen.
What's the going rate for a solid backup catcher to a mid-level playoff hopeful? If nothing else, the White Sox have added to their impressive stockpile of Texas Tech products, but initial indications are the Sox swapped a present bench player for potentially a future one.
Baker is a 25-year-old who hit .244/.344/.302 in his first 17 Triple-A games this April before suffering an adductor strain, which he was rehabbing in Florida Complex League play at the time of the trade. Like Thaiss, his contact skill has allowed him to work walks and maintain a compelling on-base rate, he offers the ability to defend all three outfield positions for a new organization that values versatility, and he has stolen 49 and 42 bases over the last two seasons. That said, he has a .104 ISO for his professional career and his power production has further waned in the upper levels, which walls him off from a starting role.
As should have already been clear, the White Sox will be open for business this summer, even for veterans who offer a strong clubhouse presence. The Sox acquired Thaiss from the Cubs for cash in mid-December, so they might consider it a victory of sorts that he demonstrated enough value to be traded for a player by late May. Victories of sorts are what the Sox have to settle for as long as actual wins are in predictably short supply.
