Curses! Tyler Flowers signs one-year deal with White Sox

Make no mistake about it, the 2013 White Sox roster had holes in it like Swiss cheese. The catching situation was perhaps the biggest hole of them all.

Both Tyler Flowers and Josh Phegley received an extended look behind the plate. Neither man showed much, and I'm not sold that either can be a long-term answer for the White Sox at that position.

As Monday's 11 p.m. deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players approached, I found myself wishing the Sox would non-tender Flowers and his .195 batting average and send him on his way.

Instead, the Sox signed Flowers to a one-year deal worth $950,000.

Ugh.

Sox GM Rick Hahn sounds inclined to give the Flowers-Phegley catching combo another chance in 2014.

"In Tyler's defense, there was a bit of an injury issue that may well have factored in to his performance," Hahn told reporters on Monday. "And in Josh's defense, it was his first exposure to the big leagues, and obviously the league adjusted to him fairly quickly and he was unable to adjust.

"So you're hesitant to write either guy off, given the upside that we have seen in the past. That said, this is the big leagues and eventually you run out of opportunities. I know we believe they're both capable of reaching their upside. As to precisely what role and how many at-bats they're going to get in 2014 to prove us right about that upside, that's still to be determined."

Double ugh.

I don't know that I've seen that much upside from either of these two guys. I can live with Flowers defensively, but shoulder injury or not, he's never shown me much with the bat. Yes, he hits some home runs, but he doesn't hit near enough of them to make up for his low-contact, low-average approach. Ask yourself, with men on second and third and one out, do you want Flowers at the plate? I sure don't. I feel like he's has no chance; a strikeout is inevitable. He's just too poor a hitter to play every day in the big leagues.

Last year was Phegley's first taste of the major leagues. He struggled both with the bat and with the glove, but he did hit in the minors. He's young enough that there is still some hope, but honestly, I think he would benefit from another season in Triple-A.

I was really hoping the Sox would add a veteran catcher to the mix this offseason, even if it was just a replacement-level player who could provide some experience and stability. The idea that the Sox are thinking of going with Flowers and Phegley again next year makes me shake my head in despair. I guess now is the time I need to remind myself the offseason isn't over yet. Opening Day isn't until March 31, and there is still plenty of time for Hahn to change his mind and bring another catcher in here.

But right now, I'm beating my head against the wall, especially after the news Tuesday that former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski has signed with Boston.

Triple ugh.

Now, I'm not necessarily saying the Sox should have brought back Pierzynski, who will be 37 years old by Opening Day. At that age, who knows how much he has left in the tank? But what I am saying is that the Sox have failed to acquire or develop a suitable replacement for Pierzynski, and that's the part that stinks.