With Opening Day just five days away, Rick Hahn is putting the final touches on the Chicago White Sox roster. On Sunday afternoon, the White Sox traded catcher Zack Collins to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for catcher Reese McGuire.
What Reese McGuire Brings to Chicago
Reese McGuire comes to the South Siders on a one-year, $722,400 deal with three arbitration years remaining. A 2013 first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates, McGuire joined the Blue Jays in a 2016 trade. The left-handed-hitting catcher did not make it to the big leagues until 2018.
McGuire joins the White Sox looking to fill the backup catcher role, as he did for the Blue Jays. His offensive numbers don’t jump off the page, but he’s a strong defender and pitch framer.
McGuire will not be an offensive weapon like most of the other names in the White Sox lineup, but he will be a difficult out. The 27-year-old is known for making consistent contact and his ability to spray the ball to all areas of the field.
Considering how much offensive power the Sox have elsewhere in the lineup, Reese McGuire’s bat won’t hurt two times a week. While he isn’t a “big splash” trade acquisition, he will provide sound defense and more consistency at the plate, which Zack Collins wasn’t able to accomplish.
Zack Collins’ Time Was Up
Zack Collins joined the Chicago White Sox organization as the 10th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. He slowly developed through the minors and made his big league debut in 2019.
Simply put, Collins just never took off. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Collins only appeared in nine games and had a batting average of .063 with just one hit. In 2021, he slashed .210/.330/.338 with four home runs and 26 RBIs across 231 plate appearances. With Yasmani Grandal having the starting catcher role locked down, there was no need for the White Sox to invest more time into Collins if he was going to be a backup at best.
Sox fans will always remember Zack Collins for catching Carlos Rodon’s no-hitter, but unfortunately not much else. Perhaps a change of scenery will help him figure out his game.
What’s Next For the White Sox?
Even with the 2022 season just days away, Rick Hahn is wasting no time moving dead weight. Micker Adolfo’s development has seemingly flared out. Yoelqui Cespedes is on his coattails already, so the White Sox could potentially trade Adolfo to acquire pitching depth.
With McGuire as the new lock at backup catcher, Seby Zavala won’t have a place on the roster and is out of options. As James Fox of FutureSox indicates, he could depart the roster via DFA or a trade.
Expect Rick Hahn to continue tweaking the White Sox roster as the regular season approaches.
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