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.¡±