Infielder Curtis Mead excited for ‘new beginning' after being traded to the Chicago White Sox

Chicago Tribune

3 hours ago

SEATTLE — Curtis Mead described his 2025 as 'interesting.'
'I obviously wasn't playing very frequently in Tampa and started off pretty slowly,' the infielder said Tuesday afternoon. 'But I felt like probably my last six to eight weeks in the big leagues were pretty good.
'And then I went down to Triple A and was enjoying playing every day and felt like I was getting into a little bit of a rhythm at the end there, as well. It's been an up-and-down journey, for sure.'
That journey has taken Mead to the Chicago White Sox. He was acquired as part of the July 31 trade that sent starter Adrian Houser to the Tampa Bay Rays.
'I really appreciated my time in Tampa,' Mead said. 'But playing time was pretty limited. Excited for a new beginning, a new start.'
After the deal, Mead went to Triple-A Charlotte — along with the two pitchers the Sox acquired from the Rays in Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples. When third baseman/first baseman Miguel Vargas went on the injured list Sunday, the Sox called up Mead.
He made his Sox debut on Tuesday, flying out to right field as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of the 8-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
Mead called the opportunity with the Sox 'special.'
'For another club to believe in you and give you another opportunity is definitely something you don't take for granted,' he said. '(The trade deadline) was challenging a little bit, but ultimately, it wasn't in my control. Just going out there in Triple A and trying to be the best version of myself and showcase myself to other teams.'
Manager Will Venable said the Sox plan to have Mead available to 'mix and match.'
'He's a right-handed bat we like against lefties,' Venable said on Tuesday.
Mead, 24, slashed .226/.318/.339 with three home runs, eight RBIs and 14 runs in 49 games with the Rays in 2025. He also played in 14 games with Triple-A Durham, where he had a .264/.339/.472 slash line with three homers, seven RBIs and 10 runs in 14 games.
He had a productive two games with the Knights, going 4-for-7 with two doubles, three walks, two RBIs and two runs.
In parts of three major-league seasons (2023-25) with the Rays, Mead slashed .238/.307/.322 with five home runs, 20 RBIs and 36 runs in 111 games. He has appeared in 42 games at second base, 40 at third, 20 at first and one at shortstop.
Mead has had considerable success in the minors. He has a .298/.372/.506 slash line with 122 doubles, 57 home runs, 237 RBIs, 155 walks and 260 runs scored over parts of seven seasons in the minor leagues.
A native of Adelaide, Australia, he was originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an international free agent on May 4, 2018, before being traded to the Rays on June 24, 2019, in exchange for left-handed pitcher Cristopher Sánchez.
Mead entered the 2024 season as the No. 55 overall prospect in baseball and 2023 as the No. 33 overall prospect. He was a member of the American League roster at the 2022 All-Star Futures Game.
'We've identified some things in his offensive game that we feel like we can try to tap into to make him a real impactful major-league player,' Sox general manager Chris Getz said during a video conference call following the July 31 trade deadline.
Getz drew some similarities in the situations for Mead and Vargas, who the Sox picked up from the Los Angeles Dodgers last season as part of a three-team deal.
'A high-profile player that hadn't really translated or taken at the major-league level,' Getz said. 'Through his continued development, (Vargas) has now become a productive major-league player. We feel Curtis can do the same thing.'
As for the pitching components of the trade with the Rays, Davitt allowed two runs on three hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 6 1/3 innings in his first start for Charlotte on Tuesday at Syracuse. Peoples has allowed two earned runs in two relief innings with the Knights.
'When you look at Davitt, he's been starting at Triple A, he'll do the same thing for us in Charlotte,' Getz said. 'And Peoples has a history of starting. This year he's been in the bullpen. We'll continue the bullpen route the remainder of 2025, but he has versatility and he could be a starter in the future as well.'
Mead is looking forward to what's ahead in his future.
'I was excited with the opportunity to hopefully play a little bit more and play in front of different coaches and different players,' Mead said. 'It's a little bit of a breath of fresh air.'