The White Sox announced Wednesday that infielder Curtis Mead and catcher Korey Lee have been designated for assignment. Both were out of minor league options, and neither player made the Opening Day roster. They’ll be placed on waivers or traded to a team willing to carry them on the 26-man roster within the next five days. Outfielder Tristan Peters grabs a bench spot over Mead.
Infielder/outfielder Brooks Baldwin (elbow sprain) and catcher Kyle Teel (hamstring strain) open the season on the 10-day IL. Righties Prelander Berroa, Mike Vasil and Drew Thorpe are all beginning the season on the 15-day IL.
Mead, 25, was originally signed by the Phillies out of Australia but traded to the Rays ahead of the 2021 season in exchange for a young left-handed pitcher. For years, it looked like another savvy swap for the Rays. Mead quickly emerged as a top-100 prospect, while the Phillies received 52 2/3 innings of 5.47 ERA ball from their new southpaw in 2021-22. By 2025, however, Cristopher Sánchez had emerged as a bona fide ace in Philadelphia, whereas Mead was flipped to the Sox for a half season of Adrian Houser and now finds himself in DFA limbo to begin the year.
In 488 major league plate appearances, Mead has hit .238/.300/.317. He hasn’t walked much (5.7%) or hit the ball hard, has a slightly higher-than-average strikeout rate (23.4%), and has received middling defensive grades at both third base and second base. His .293/.373/.501 line in 856 Triple-A plate appearances suggests there could be more in the tank, but it’d be hard for a club to carry Mead on its active roster and give him regular at-bats unless said team is rebuilding. A team like the Rockies or Nationals could take a speculative look, but there’s also a decent chance Mead will pass through waivers unclaimed and stick with Chicago as a depth piece in Charlotte.
Lee, selected 32nd overall by the Astros in 2019, came to the South Siders by way of the 2022 Kendall Graveman trade. Though he was once a prospect of some note, he profiles as a backup at this point. In 504 plate appearances with the White Sox, he’s slashed .195/.237/.325 with 14 homers but only a 5.2% walk rate against a gaudy 29.6% strikeout rate. Lee has nabbed nearly one-quarter of runners who’ve attempted to steal against him since being traded to Chicago, but he’s drawn below-average grades for his framing and his efforts to block balls in the dirt.
Both Mead and Lee can be traded or placed on waivers at any point within the next five days. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so the outcome of both DFAs will be known within, at most, one week’s time.
Korey Lee trade didn’t work out for either team.
Surprised Meade didnt make it. No Kelenic eiither.
Curtis Mead was the odd man out because he has the same defensive m.o. as Lenyn Sosa and comes with a much less proven MLB bat. If Sosa was traded ahead of or during spring training then Mead would have been the top utility infielder.
The addition of Luisangel Acuña also negatively impacted Mead’s chances because he is a solid infielder including at SS which both Mead and Sosa lack. Acuña is still slated for starting CF reps but should also see some infield duty, especially if SS Colson Montgomery or 2B Chase Meidroth get hurt or need a break.
The potential for Acuña being needed in the infield is likely what spurred the White Sox into keeping the three extra OF’s: Derek Hill, Tristan Peters and Everson Pereira. Two of those three will likely be temperory once Kyle Teel and Brooks Baldwin return from their 10-day IL stints. Of those 3 OF’s both Hill and Pereira are out of options. Peters can still be optioned out to AAA. Pereira is the youngest at 24 and might possess the most upside on the grass, something the organization currently lacks in their system.
“Curtis Mead was the odd man out because he has the same defensive m.o. as Lenyn Sosa”
The big difference is that Mead is a quality defensive 3B and 1B (like Vargas) and Sosa is a butcher. They basically have him sitting on the bench to pinch hit and DH vs lefthanded starters.
Someone in that room sees something in Derek Hill that the rest of us simply don’t see.
Back when he was a Tiger’s prospect, he could make amazing defensive plays and steal some bags. At 30 I would think he is starting to slow down and he still can’t hit. Meade and Kelenic have upside but they must not believe in them if they kept a 4th outfielder over them.
Defense
Crazy to think the Curtis Mead for Cristopher Sanchez trade was once seen as a fleece in the Rays favor but turned out to be the exact opposite.
painful memory
How quickly things change. Only a couple years ago, Rays fans viewed Mead as part of the future. Further proof there are *no guarantees* with prospects.
It happens to every single club every year in the history of the MLB
Hopefully the White Sox can still recoup something for Curtis Mead and Korey Lee during their 5 day waiver window. It’s unlikely that both will clear waivers but if it does happen neither player has the requisite service time to refuse an outright assignment to AAA Charlotte.
I’d be more surprised if Lee clears waivers but a trade can still happen if a contender in need of a solid backup catcher wants to jump the waiver claim line ahead of the non-contenders.
If I were the Cubs I’d rather have Mead as my last bench piece over Scott Kingery.
In any event, the two players the White Sox added to the opening day roster instead of Mead and Lee will likely be jettisoned as soon as Kyle Teel and Brooks Baldwin return from their 10-day IL stints. Teel in particular should be ready as soon as his 10-days are up in early April.
The White Sox will also have an additional 40-man roster spot available when needed, perhaps in a potential trade involving Mead or Lee. They’ve only placed Mike Vasil on the 15-day IL. He going under the knife for a TJ procedure and will be out of action for all of 2026 and early 2027.
Recoup what? Sox only sent Kendall Graveman foe Korey Lee. No loss at all
I’m sorry but Colorado should be picking up Mead and Lee heck and even some how get Kelenic too. Then play them.
Why would they need Lee? But I could see them picking up Mead.
I hope they use Acuna in LF and the infield. Baldwin
hurt his arm because the throwing is much different
from the OF.
Who will be shown the door, when Teel and Baldwin return?
There’s a chance they carry three catchers, so probably Lee and Peters. Lee can probably pass thru waivers because of his minor league guarantee, and I believe Peters still has an option.
With ABS, does having below-average framing really matter as much?
Great question South Side! I was kind of wondering that myself…. “I’m tryin’ Ringo, I’m trying Real Hard” to understand, accept, and appreciate all these new advancements to baseball. But, I am also missing the, good ol’, human element of the game that has been lost. .. Maybe, at 52, the game has passed me by and I have to realize the game is not designed for my generation anymore. I would love to see Greg Maddux, is his prime, pitching today with all the changes. I believe he could “actually” fool the ABS and cause it to freeze up… I’ll go now. P.S. You Kids Get Off My Lawn!!!
Framing still matters! Teams only get two challenges and don’t want to risk wasting them on a close call.