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Adrian Houser Trade Nets White Sox Three Players With Potential Major League Impact
Tampa Bay Rays infielder Curtis Mead (25) against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

CHICAGO –– The White Sox made just one trade on Thursday, but general manager Chris Getz felt it shone a positive light on the organization in a few ways.

From a scouting and evaluation standpoint, plucking Adrian Houser from Triple-A and getting 12 major league starts with a 2.10 ERA out of the right-hander represented more production than anyone could have imagined.

That allowed the White Sox to trade Houser to the Tampa Bay Rays for an infielder and two pitching prospects. Whether the prospects –– Curtis Mead, Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples, who have been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte –– turn out to be valuable players is to be determined. But for a non-playoff contending team, acquiring three players at age 25 or younger in exchange for a 32-year-old who will be a free agent after the 2025 season is worth a shot.

Getz was proud of that process from all parties start to finish.

"Credit to him with his performance in a White Sox uniform," Getz said. "Underneath the performance, I’m really proud we were able to identify some changes in what Adrian Houser had been working on in his performance when he was in Triple-A with the Texas Rangers and being able to convert on signing him and bringing him in here. He did have opportunities to go elsewhere. Being able to provide the runway and more than anything he deserves all the credit."

"But I was also very proud of us identifying him and being able to get as much as we did out of Adrian Houser. It was 12 starts and to think we were able to find three players that feel we like can be part of our Major League club in the near future, that’s pretty remarkable work overall. Certainly very grateful for what Adrian has done in a White Sox uniform."

Who the White Sox received

The White Sox return is headlined by Australian infielder Curtis Mead, who was added to the 40-man roster. He's a 6-foot-1, 24-year-old right-handed hitter who can play first base, second base and third base. Just last season, he was the Rays' No. 3 prospect and No. 55 overall in the MLB Pipeline rankings.

Mead made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2023 and also received opportunities with the big league club in 2024 and 2025, totaling 111 total appearances all over the infield. But with a career slash line of .238/.307/.322 in the majors, along with with five home runs, 20 RBIs, six stolen bases, 25 walks and 84 strikeouts in 356 plate appearances, he never took hold of a long-term role.

Based on Mead's production in the minor leagues, though, Getz feels there is more in the tank. Across five seasons, 190 games and 846 plate appearances with the Rays' Triple-A team, Mead slashed .290/.369/.497 with 29 home runs, 109 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, 79 walks and 147 stolen bases.

Mead was once thought of very highly, and Getz said the White Sox have identified things in his offensive game that they can tap into. He's had success in the minor leagues, and now it's up to the White Sox to help him translate that to the major league level.

Getz said White Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller will play a role in that.

"When we’re talking offensive players, it doesn’t go without Ryan Fuller’s analysis and potential plan if there’s an area that needs to be addressed. And that applies to Curtis Mead," Getz said. "There’s still work to be done there and Ryan is aware and we’re going to attack that head on right out of the gate.

"But most importantly, we want to get to know Curtis Mead. We want him to get comfortable in a new uniform, a new place and we want to support him like we try to support everyone. Ryan Fuller is a big part of our analysis and acquisition team, just like Brian Bannister is on the pitching front. We’re going to continue to build our hitting group, and Ryan’s obviously the lead and we feel really, really good about where this is headed."

Getz compared this to a scenario from last year's trade deadline, when the White Sox acquired Miguel Vargas. With the Dodgers, Vargas didn't have a long runway at the major league level despite his minor league success. He struggled last year with the White Sox, too, but made meaningful adjustments and has become a productive player in 2025.

"We feel Curtis can do the same thing," Getz said. "We are going to get to work in Triple-A and see if there’s opportunity at the major league level as time goes on here in the next two months. Most importantly it's about the next two months of work, going into the offseason and seeing where we are at come Spring Training with Curtis."

The two pitchers acquired in the trade, Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples, will also report to Triple-A Charlotte. But unlike Mead, they are not on the White Sox 40-man roster. Neither pitcher was ranked among the Rays' top-30 prospects, per MLB Pipeline.

Davitt, 25, is a 6-foot-3 right-hander who the Rays selected in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft from the University of Iowa. He has spent most of the 2025 season with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, recording a 3.55 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP with 15 walks and 81 strikeouts across 15 starts and 83.2 innings.

Davitt was promoted to Triple-A Durham, and has allowed 14 earned runs in his first four starts, spanning 20 innings. Getz said Davitt will be part of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights' starting rotation.

Peoples, 24, is a 6-foot-1 right-hander who mostly pitched in the starting rotation as part of the Rays' minor league system from 2021-24. But all 35 of his appearances in 2025 have come out of the bullpen. Getz said he'll continue to be a reliever for the remainder of this season, but he could return to a starting role in the future.

Across 37.1 innings in Triple-A this season, Peoples had a 2.65 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP with 20 walks and 39 strikeouts. As a starter in 2024 at the Double-A level, he posted a 3.42 ERA in 12 outings.

"To be able to get three players for a pitcher we’ve only had for 12 starts, we feel we really good about it and excited to inject this type of talent into our system," Getz said.

This article first appeared on Chicago White Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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