The White Sox added experience this week by signing right-hander Bryse Wilson to a one-year, $1.05 million contract and acquiring catcher Matt Thaiss from the Cubs in exchange for cash.

Both players were introduced by the team during a Zoom call on Thursday afternoon, and both are taking on a leadership role for the first time and want to bring a winning culture to a team that lost a Major League-record 121 games this past season.

“It’s definitely going to be a little bit of a change than what I was used to,” Wilson said, “but I’m looking forward to it. I love talking about pitching, baseball and everything about it. I will get to know a lot of the young pitchers and help them in any way I can.”

Said Thaiss: “It's about the attitude and commitment every single day. All of us want to get better. … One of my strengths as a catcher is my ability to study a game, call a game and … try to lead this [pitching staff]. I know they are young, but I’m excited.”

Wilson, who will celebrate his 27th birthday on Friday, has been a starter and reliever during his seven years in the big leagues, but in Spring Training he will compete for a spot in the rotation. As a starter, however, Wilson is 9-18 with a 5.37 ERA in 52 games, with 43 home runs allowed. He knows what he has to do to be consistent on the mound, and he is developing a changeup as a way to collect more strikeouts.

“Going into this season, the biggest thing that I would like to improve on is limiting damage,” he said. “I gave up quite a few home runs last year [20 in 104 2/3 innings for the Brewers]. I don’t want to make as many mistakes, whether that comes from pitch sequencing, usage or just trying to be finer. That’s something that we will figure out.

“I command the baseball pretty well. I’m not too worried about throwing strikes. I would like to develop more of a swing-and-miss pitch this offseason. I want a little more strikeouts, a lot less homers, and I think we will be on a good path.”

Thaiss, 29, spent the 2024 season with the Angels, hitting .204 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in 57 games. He has a career slash line of .208/.313/.342, with 22 homers and 79 RBIs in six Major League seasons, all with the Angels (2019-24). He was acquired by the Cubs from the Angels in exchange for cash considerations on Nov. 20 before being dealt to the White Sox.

“The past couple of weeks have been crazy, but I’m excited for a new opportunity,” Thaiss said. “I’m excited to meet some new people and just get to work.”

Starting with Spring Training, Thaiss is expected to work with the younger catchers, such as Kyle Teel (the No. 2 prospect in the White Sox organization, per MLB Pipeline) and Edgar Quero (No. 6), teaching them the art of calling a game from behind the plate.

“[I would tell them to] work hard, keep your head down [and] your ears open, which I know both of these guys are already doing and able to do,” Thaiss said. “Trust the coaches you [have], the veteran leadership you have. I told Kyle today about [catching coach] Drew Butera. I worked with him in 2023. I told Kyle that Drew was outstanding, and he is going to be a good resource for him.”