He’s a keeper: Instead of trade, White Sox could use another year of Tauchman
The White Sox don't have much to sell ahead of next week's MLB trade deadline.
Veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman might draw some interest from teams looking for a reliable left-handed bat. Instead of taking calls, though, the Sox should think about locking up Tauchman for another year on the South Side.
Think of the long list of veterans the White Sox have tried to bring in to serve as mentors. Most of them have disappointed, but Tauchman leads the team in OPS over the full season at .822.
The Palatine native missed most of the first seven weeks of the season with a pair of hamstring injuries. During the recent road trip, when the Sox went 5-1 coming out of the all-star break, Tauchman's style seemed to be rubbing off on his teammates.
The Sox are staying patient at the plate, having long at-bats, which is one reason Tauchman had a successful two-year run with the Cubs and why he's batted leadoff on both sides of town.
“Getting ourselves in good counts by laying off some tough pitches, you get better pitches to hit,” Tauchman said during the series in Pittsburgh. “That’s what winning looks like, what it’s supposed to look like.”
Sox manager Will Venable supported that description of Tauchman.
“A professional hitter,” he said. “He’s able to navigate at-bats. Even when he’s not feeling good, he finds a way to have a good at-bat and put a good swing on a good pitch.”
Tauchman, 34, talked recently about his 9-month-old daughter needing surgery during the all-star break to correct a cleft palate. He and his wife own a house in Arlington Heights, so staying in Chicago is probably a high priority in his career. The White Sox should take advantage.
General manager Chris Getz is in a spot with Tauchman or pitcher Adrian Houser where both have relatively low salaries. If he's not offered a high-value prospect in a trade, Getz could choose to keep both and hope the Sox can continue a strong second half.
City Series on deck:
The biggest reason for the White Sox’ recent surge is they're finally getting a good performance from center fielder Luis Robert Jr. He's put together a nice month at the plate, with a .983 OPS, and hit .444 on the road trip to Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.
For most of the season, the absence of offense has been almost comical on the South Side. Then Miguel Vargas started to heat up. This week, it's been Robert, Vargas, Mike Tauchman, both young catchers — Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero — and newly promoted shortstop Colson Montgomery all hitting well.
Hosting the Cubs this weekend will be a good test of whether the improved offense is sustainable. Remember back in February, when some White Sox took live batting practice against Dodgers new arrival Roki Sasaki, Teel blasted the second pitch over the fence. On Wednesday in Tampa, Teel hit his first big-league home run.
When it comes to trade possibilities, Robert is likely in a different bin than Tauchman or Houser. Owed roughly $5 million for the rest of the year, the Sox might be willing to send Robert to a team willing to pick up at least some of that salary, since there is very little chance the Sox pick up Robert's $20-million option for next year.
Prospect list updates:
MLB Pipeline shuffled the lists of each team's top 30 prospects. Here are some local highlights.
The White Sox had two pitchers move into their top 10. Left-hander Christian Oppor went from off the board to No. 7, while righty Tanner McDougal is No. 8. McDougal, a fifth-round pick in 2021, has posted an 0.89 ERA in his first six starts at Double-A Birmingham.
Two suburban natives remain in the Sox top 10. Pitcher Noah Schultz (Oswego East) is No. 1, while outfielder George Wolkow (Downers Grove North) is No. 9.
· The biggest movers on the Cubs list are infielder Pedro Ramirez at No. 7 and right-handed pitcher Ryan Gallagher at No. 8. Both are playing at Double-A Knoxville.
· Right-handed pitcher Jack Wenninger (Cary-Grove) made a big jump with the Mets, from No. 29 to 14. He has a 2.96 ERA at Double-A Binghamton.
· Right-handed pitcher Jack Mahoney (St. Viator) went from No. 29 to 22 for the Rockies. He's pitching at Double-A Hartford.
· Infielder Luke Adams (Hinsdale Central) slid into the Brewers’ top 10 at No. 8. The 12th-round draft pick in 2022 has 11 home runs at Double-A Biloxi.
· Right-handed pitcher Ryan Sloan (York), drafted last year, is the Mariners' No. 5 prospect. He's posted a 3.43 ERA in 15 starts for the Single-A Modesto Nuts.
· Right-handed pitcher Ashton Izzi (Oswego East), was No. 16 for the Mariners before reportedly being traded to Arizona on Thursday.