The White Sox will sign Mike Tauchman

December 10th: Bruce Levine of 670 The Score (link X) provided some financial details today. Tauchman will earn a salary of $1.95 million and can earn an extra $1 million through incentives. There is also a $250,000 transfer bonus if he is traded.

December 9th: The White Sox are set to sign a free agent outfielder Mike Tauchmannreports Scott Merkin of MLB.com (link X). It’s a major league contract for Meister Sports Management client, tweets Sox Machine’s James Fegan. The terms were not reported. The Sox have two openings on their 40-man roster, so no corresponding move is necessary.

Tauchman, a Chicago-area native, heads across town after spending two seasons with the Cubs. The left-handed outfielder was a nice role player for the North Siders. He has hit .250/.360/.372 in 751 plate appearances since returning from a stint in Korea in 2022. That includes a solid .248/.357/.366 showing over 350 trips to the plate this year.

This made it somewhat surprising that the Cubs decided not to offer Tauchman a contract for his second trip through the arbitration process. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him at a relatively modest $2.9 million. He was evidently too expensive for a Cubs team that felt it would be difficult to get him equal playing time. Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cody Bellinger AND Seiya Suzuki they are deployed for outfield work and designated hitter work. Alessandro Canario AND Kevin Alcantara made their MLB debuts late in the year, while prospects Owen Caissie he is not far from himself.

Tauchman has a much clearer path to playing at Guaranteed Rate Field. He is the second outfield signing of the winter for Sox GM Chris Getz. Chicago brought the steed Austin Slater on a $1.75 million deal last month. Tauchman is probably not much more expensive. He could pair with Slater in a right-wing platoon. The Sox did not tender Gavin Fogli a few weeks ago, while supposed starter Dominic Fletcher he hit just .206/.252/.256 in 241 plate appearances last season.

While this isn’t a move that will significantly change the ceiling of the outfield, Tauchman’s discipline gives him a higher floor than Fletcher. He could hit toward the top of the lineup. The Sox would certainly be happy to cash him at the deadline if he’s performing well. As a 34-year-old winger, Tauchman wouldn’t get much of a return even if he had a good first half. However, the White Sox could theoretically flip him to a mid-level prospect next July.