Earlier today, the Los Angeles Angels claimed Kevan Smith off of waivers, thus clarifying what the position may look like for the White Sox going into 2019.
With Smith gone, it all but guarantees that Omar Narvaez and Welington Castillo will be the two catchers on the White Sox roster. Who will start more games is to be determined. Castillo is getting paid like a starter, but Narvaez proved last year that he deserves his chance as well, as he slashed .275/.366/.429 with 30 RBI and 9 home runs in 322 Plate Appearances. Then there's the fact that the White Sox have Seby Zavala and Zack Collins in the minors. Both will more than likely start in Triple-A to begin 2019. What happens when one or both of them prove that they are ready for the MLB? The White Sox have a lot of options. 1) Trade Welington Castillo Castillo has so far been a waste of money seeing as he was popped for steroids and was suspended 80 games. If he proves he can help a team in a pennant race, the White Sox should deal him right away. They won't get much, but he's not going to be on the team after this season anyways, and it would help free up a roster spot for Zavala or Collins. 2) Trade Omar Narvaez Narvaez currently has more value than Castillo does in the fact that he had a great 2018, but he also didn't get busted for PED's. The White Sox could look to shop him at the Winter Meetings or once the season begins. The problem with this is that after 2019, you'd be asking Collins and Zavala to handle the catching duties for the team. That's a lot to ask for from a couple kids with little to no MLB experience. Having a veteran catcher on the roster will be critical, especially with a relatively young starting rotation. Have Three Catchers On The Roster This is a pretty interesting option should the White Sox choose to go this route. If they feel that Zavala or Collins is ready, they can call one of them up and have them do the majority of the catching to help them develop, and use Narvaez and Castillo as a DH option or a bench role. They could also shift Collins to first base for a while and use Castillo as the catcher and Narvaez at DH. It's an option that offers a lot of versatility and one that shouldn't be overlooked.
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