After a strong 2025 season with the Chicago White Sox, outfielder Mike Tauchman settles for a minor league contract with the New York Mets.
Former Chicago White Sox outfielder Mike Tauchman has a new team. On Monday night, he signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets.
The move reunites him with old teammate Luis Robert Jr. and gives him a chance to play for a competitive club that should make a playoff push in the National League. But it will also make regular at-bats — and even a roster spot — difficult to come by.
It’s a bit surprising to me that Tauchman had to settle for a minor league contract.
He was worth 1.4 fWAR during the 2025 season and has accumulated 4.1 fWAR since the start of 2023. With the White Sox last season, Tauchman played in 93 games and posted a .356 on-base percentage, .400 slugging percentage, and .756 OPS.
He hit nine home runs and 17 doubles and was one of the most consistent hitters in Chicago’s lineup. He provided a steady, veteran at-bat. Tauchman sees his pitches, rarely expands the strike zone, and plays smart, situational baseball.
With consistent production for three consecutive seasons — always posting an on-base percentage above .350 and an OPS+ comfortably above league average — I would have thought someone would be willing to give him a one-year MLB deal.
It was also somewhat surprising when the White Sox non-tendered Tauchman earlier in the offseason. At different points this offseason, I’ve advocated for Chicago to bring him back.
Beyond the consistent offensive output, he was a tremendous clubhouse presence and one of the better veteran voices the White Sox had in 2025. That kind of leadership is valuable for a young team still learning how to win.
At the end of the day, Tauchman’s age and fading athleticism likely played a role. He battled multiple lower-body injuries in 2025 that landed him on the injured list several times — which helps explain why he appeared in only 93 games despite being one of Chicago’s better hitters.
When he was on the field, his legs didn’t allow him to play premium defense or be much of a factor on the bases. Defense used to be one of his calling cards. Now, it’s closer to a weakness.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t belong on a major league roster. I still think there’s plenty of value in having Mike Tauchman on your team. But he shares a lot in common with White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi.
Benintendi is also a slightly above-average bat with declining defense and athleticism as he enters his age-31 season. It’s not quite as pronounced as it is with Tauchman, but it’s significant enough that the White Sox are considering giving Benintendi extended time at designated hitter in 2026.
That could maximize his offensive value and keep him on the field as much as possible. But unlike Tauchman, Benintendi is owed $17.1 million, so the White Sox don’t really have a choice but to keep him on the roster.
And they can ill afford to carry two outfielders who don’t provide much defensively or on the bases.
As much as I would have liked to see Tauchman back on the South Side, it’s hard to justify keeping both him and Benintendi when their skill sets are largely redundant. Still, I’ll be wishing him the best in his next stop and hoping he can carve out playing time with a winning team in New York.