White Sox Acquire Matt Thaiss From Cubs

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The Chicago teams have lined up on  Carlos Ruiz Jersey a minor trade. The White Sox acquired catcher  from the Cubs for cash, the teams announced. The Sox had an opening on the 40-man roster, so there was no corresponding move.  Thai s was only an offseason acquisition for the Cubs. They landed him from the Angels in a cash trade last month. He had a path to backup job behind  at the time. Thats no longer on the table. Chicago signed  to a two-year free agent deal last week. Amaya and Kelly will split the catching reps at Wrigley Field.  Kellys signing made a Thai s move all but inevitable. Hes out of options, so the Cubs couldnt send him to the minors without putting him on waivers. Teams rarely carry three catchers on the active roster for an entire season. The Cubs could have carried Thai s into Spring Training as injury insurance, but theyd likely have been squeezed into a roster move if their top two catchers were healthy on Opening Day.  Trading Thai s now gives him some clarity and opens a spot on the Cubs 40-man roster, which had been at capacity. Thai s has a decent chance at breaking camp on the South Side.  had a .210/.244/.347 showing in a career-high 394 plate appearances this past season.  , who has 51 MLB appearances and turned 30 this week, was the only other catcher on the 40-man roster.  The Sox have a pair of highly-regarded catching prospects,  and  , who arent far off major league readine s. They were each the headliners of recent trades. Teel led a four-prospect return from the Red Sox in last weeks  deal, while Quero was the big piece in the 2023 deadline deal that sent  and  to the Halos. Both players should make their big league debuts next season, though they might each open the season at Triple-A Charlotte.  Thai s, a left-handed hitter, brings more on-base ability than Lee provides. Hes a career .208/.313/.342 hitter who posted a .204/.323/.299 slash acro s 186 plate appearances with the Angels this year. Thai s takes plenty of pitches, which allows him to work a lot of walks but contributes to lofty strikeout rates. He has never graded as a particularly strong defender, which led the Angels to move him from catcher to first base early in his minor league career. He moved back behind the dish in 2022 but grades as a below-average pitch framer with subpar arm strength.  Tug Mcgraw Jersey