This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin's White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- Kyle Teel was presented the following option by a media member during his first Chicago-based Zoom call at the end of last week.

Have a great 10-year career as a catcher or have an equally great 15-year career playing a different position? There was only a slight bit of hesitation before the 22-year-old provided a definitive answer.

“I'm a catcher,” Teel said. “I believe in myself as a catcher. I love catching. That's what I want to do. So, let's be a catcher for 15 years.”

The newly minted No. 2 White Sox prospect and No. 25 overall, per MLB Pipeline, was the centerpiece of a four-player return from Boston for All-Star starter Garrett Crochet in a deal finalized hours before the end of the Winter Meetings. He’s a left-handed-hitting backstop with a career .848 OPS over 619 Minor League plate appearances.

Teel also can play other positions, having spent time in right field and left field collegiately with Virginia. And the White Sox now have an abundance of high-quality young catchers in an area where they struggled to find one in the past.

Edgar Quero, the No. 6 White Sox prospect and No. 59 overall, is a 21-year-old switch-hitter who slashed .280/.366/.463 with 16 home runs, 16 doubles and 70 RBIs over 2024 stops with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. Quero was part of the White Sox taxi squad during the final week of the ‘24 season and could challenge for the starting catcher’s job at the outset of 2025.

Korey Lee, 26, made overall strides offensively from his rough short ‘23 stint with the White Sox after Houston traded him for reliever Kendall Graveman. But Lee slashed .196/.227/.331 after the 2024 All-Star break and posted a .182 average over his final 309 plate appearances after rising to a .309 mark with three hits in a game against the Nationals on May 15. During a trying 121-loss season, tying Major League Baseball’s single-season record for losses in the Modern Era (since 1901), Lee developed as a leader and one of the voices of the team.

“Catching is gold right now in this game, based on conversations we've had with other clubs,” said White Sox general manager Chris Getz immediately after the Crochet trade. “To bring Kyle Teel into the organization, who's played at Triple-A, a left-handed bat, he's an athlete, he’s played other positions. To know that we've got Edgar Quero and Korey Lee -- so from a catching standpoint, we feel really good about where we're at.”

Those conversations mentioned by Getz could feature other teams already asking about the White Sox plethora of young catchers. But Getz feels both Teel and Quero can catch at the Major League level for the White Sox.

“You've got a switch-hitter in Edgar Quero who's really strong from the right side currently. And you've got Kyle Teel who's left-handed and has versatility in his background, too,” Getz said. “Going back to the ‘gold,’ the catching position is just so valuable, and it's such a hard position to fill.

“Going back to the foundation of an organization, so many things start up the middle of the diamond, and it starts at the catching position and how much they can impact the game with game-planning and directing traffic on the field. To have strength there is really important to us.”

This trade call came to Teel as he was driving to his gym to train last Wednesday. He didn’t see the move coming, but following a workout to clear his head, there was nothing but excitement for the new opportunity.

The 14th overall selection in the first round of the 2023 Draft by Boston, Teel slashed .288/.386/.433 over 505 plate appearances split between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester to go with 13 homers, 23 doubles, 12 stolen bases and 78 RBIs in his first full professional season. He developed “a ton” defensively and in his handling of pitchers, and despite his positional versatility, Teel sees a present and future behind the plate.

“I have experience playing right field. I was a shortstop in high school, I played left field for the national team,” Teel said. “To be honest, I just love to play the game.

“You can put me anywhere, but at the same time, I love catcher. Catcher is my position. So, I’m excited to see how it turns out. It’s most important to get in the lineup any way you can to help the team win.”