White Sox catcher Edgar Quero is drawing trade interest from multiple teams, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. Romero notes that the Sox would have a high asking price. That aligns with recent comments from White Sox general manager Chris Getz. Per James Fegan of Sox Machine, Getz pushed back on the idea that now was the time to trade a catcher. “Is that time now? I don’t think so. I don’t,” Getz said. “But down the road, you never know.”
The Sox came into 2025 with two notable catching prospects in Quero and Kyle Teel. Both were generally considered top 100 guys by prospect evaluators. Both debuted in 2025. Teel had a better season but he’s a year older.
Quero got into 111 games and stepped to the plate 403 times, producing a .268/.333/.356 line. That led to a 95 wRC+, which indicates he was 5% less productive than the average big league hitter. Catchers are usually about 10% worse than par, so Quero’s production was actually decent for the position. However, outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast and Baseball Prospectus all panned his glovework, particularly his framing.
Teel, meanwhile, got into 78 games with 297 plate appearances. He slashed .273/.375/.411 for a 125 wRC+. His defensive grades weren’t elite but he was often considered to be close to average, give or take.
The Sox also have Korey Lee on the roster. He wasn’t the same level of prospect as Teel or Quero but he was a 32nd overall pick of the Astros back in 2019. He hasn’t clicked in the majors yet, with a .193/.234/.321 batting line and poor defense to boot.
The Sox don’t have to make a trade now, though it does feel as though one is inevitable in the long term. Most clubs have two catchers sharing the catching duties these days. The Sox could certainly do that with Teel and Quero for the time being.
The designated hitter slot can also allow them to get both into the lineup fairly regularly, as they continue to develop as major leaguers. The Sox don’t have a full-time DH, though they might want to have their veteran outfielders in there from time to time. Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman are all trade candidates and it would be good to keep them fresh and productive for trade possibilities, especially given Robert’s injury history. It’s also possible the roster is changed in the offseason via a trade of one of those three or perhaps even a non-tender of Tauchman.
At some point, a trade should be a real consideration, however. Even if Quero is the 1B catcher behind 1A Teel, other clubs might view him as a viable 1A option. The Sox could trade Quero to bolster another part of the roster, then use Lee or sign some veteran to back up Teel. It’s also theoretically possible that Quero surpasses Teel as the top option in Chicago and the inverse becomes a possibility, though as Fegan mentions, the Sox are probably committed to Teel since they made him such a key piece of the Garrett Crochet trade.
From the perspective of the Sox, there shouldn’t be urgency. The 2025 White Sox showed some progress relative to the 2024 squad, but that’s not saying much. Even the improved 2025 group still lost 102 games. The end of the rebuild is not imminent. This year’s free agent crop of catchers isn’t especially strong, which could tempt them to put Quero out there, but next year’s class doesn’t appear to be much better.
The Sox can continue using their big league playing time to focus on development. Unless they are bowled over by an offer, that can include Quero. As mentioned by Fegan, the Sox don’t feel Quero has reached his potential yet. Some signs of progress in the next year or two would only increase his trade value. By that time, the Sox might also have a better idea of which parts of the roster they need to target in the trade return, in order to best forge a path for future success.
Lee is out of options now, so he may have a hard time sticking around, though there is an argument for keeping him on the bench. As mentioned, the Sox may use the DH spot to have both Teel and Quero in the lineup regularly. If they indeed plan to do that, they could perhaps keep Lee around as a classic backup catcher who is ready to jump in if one of the other two suffers an injury.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images