Former Angels catcher and first rounder traded from White Sox to Rays

The Angels cut ties with an overwhelming amount of players from their 2024 team that was the worst in franchise history. Some of them have picked up with other organizations and have played their way back to the majors (Michael Stefanic and Eric Wagaman), while others are pretty much out of the league (Brandon Drury and Matt Moore). One player from the 2024 team was cast aside by the Angels early in the offseason, but is still being valued as a serviceable big leaguer by a couple teams.

The Chicago White Sox dealt Matt Thaiss to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a minor league outfielder named Dru Baker. Thaiss, a former first round pick, played in the big leagues for the Angels for parts of the 2019-2024 seasons. He was on the Angels' roster for the entirety of last season, but only played in 57 games as he ceded the majority of his playing time to Logan O'Hoppe. In total, Thaiss played in 245 games for the Halos, slashing .208/.313/.342/.655 with 22 home runs and 79 RBIs.

When the Angels signed Travis d'Arnaud to a two-year, $12 million contract, the writing was on the wall for Thaiss. He was designated for assignment the day after the d'Arnaud signing was announced. Almost a week later, he was dealt to the Cubs in exchange for cash considerations. Less than a month later, the Chicago Cubs sent Thaiss to the Chicago White Sox...also for cash considerations. While with the ChiSox, Thaiss slashed .212/.382/.294/.676 (which is pretty much exactly in-line with his Angels' tenure) and was splitting time behind the plate with former Angels top prospect Edgar Quero. This trade will definitely excite White Sox fans, as a Kyle Teel promotion might be imminent.

When the Tampa Bay Rays acquire a player, the baseball world naturally just assumes they will win the trade given their vast history of incredibly one-sided deals. They likely value Thaiss for his elite plate discipline -- he led the White Sox with a 21% BB% and the Rays have the 8th worst BB% in the league. Thaiss also has consistently posted an elite Chase% and K% throughout his big league career.

The Rays have the second worst fWAR from their catchers this year, and are clearly betting that they can unlock Thaiss' potential that once made him a first round pick. Thaiss will likely be taking Ben Rortvedt's spot on the roster as their left-handed catcher that splits catching duties with Danny Jansen, given that Rortvedt has a .100 batting average and 0 home runs.

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