Austin Slater tried to go into free agency with no expectations, which the outfielder admitted “is a little hard.” Would the veteran of parts of eight big-league seasons with the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles find a home relatively quickly? Or would he come to an agreement closer to spring training? “I’m glad this is the way that it went and excited about the spot that I landed in,” said Slater, who formally agreed to a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. Slater, 31, said the Sox were the first team to reach out. “They told me I was their top target, and that was super encouraging,” he said Thursday. “That meant a lot, considering how difficult I felt last year went. I talked to (manager) Will Venable a couple times before signing and got really good vibes from him. “I just liked the message he was putting forth: an opportunity to play. Playing time and being a leader in the clubhouse were both pretty important things for me throughout this process. I’m thrilled about the opportunity.” The right-handed-hitting Slater has a career .271/.364/.429 slash line against lefties and provides flexibility for a Sox outfield that includes left-handed hitters in left field (Andrew Benintendi) and right (Dominic Fletcher). “On paper it’s a great fit, in terms of the lefty outfielders and my career stats against lefties, to kind of shield some guys from some platoon splits,” Slater said. “The versatility, too, to play all three outfield spots I think was a draw for them as well.” Slater, along with prospects Colson Montgomery and Grant Taylor, met with reporters via video conferences this week. Here are three takeaways from those sessions. 1. Austin Slater praised new Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller. The Orioles’ Austin Slater singles in Ryan O’Hearn from third base for the go-ahead run against the White Sox on Sept. 2, 2024, in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun) Slater slashed .209/.321/.266 in 84 combined games with the Giants, Reds and Orioles during what he called a “pretty disappointing” 2024 season. His best stint came in Baltimore, where he slashed .246/.342/.333 in 33 games. Ryan Fuller, recently named the Sox director of hitting, was the Orioles co-hitting coach. “Ryan’s the best,” Slater said. “He understands the swing, which is obviously very important, but what I took away the most was what he talked about on the mental side of the game, especially for hitters, it being so up and down, frustrating at times. He had a lot of great wisdom and teaching points on that aspect of the game.” Slater said Fuller’s hiring was part of his decision to sign with the Sox. “It was definitely a huge factor for me to work with someone that I enjoyed working with,” he said, “and I felt like there was more to be kind of unlocked.” 2. Pirates All-Star Paul Skenes provided a boost to pitching prospect Grant Taylor. A lat injury limited Taylor to four starts this year for Class A Kannapolis. The right-hander worked his way back, making four starts during the Arizona Fall League. “That was really big for the mind,” Taylor said Wednesday. “Once you get back in a game, it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m back.’” Related Articles Chicago White Sox | Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal win MLB Cy Young Awards after both were pitching triple crown winners Chicago White Sox | How Chicago White Sox prospect Colson Montgomery put ‘ego and pride away’ to make most of his AFL stint Chicago White Sox | Chicago White Sox sign veteran Austin Slater for outfield depth Chicago White Sox | Garrett Crochet named AL Comeback Player of the Year — he’s the 2nd straight Chicago White Sox player to win it Chicago White Sox | Ryan Fuller looks to be a ‘catalyst to connect everyone’ in new role as Chicago White Sox director of hitting Taylor went 2-0 with a 9.39 ERA in the AFL with the Glendale Desert Dogs. He struck out 13 in 7 2/3 innings. “Obviously there’s some pitches I felt like I could have thrown better,” he said. “Some at-bats I could have done better against. But overall I think it was really good for my progression into next year and understanding what I need to get better at for next season. “I was really happy that I was selected for the Fall Stars Game, and I was really excited about going out there and getting a zero (in one inning) against the Arizona Fall League All-Stars. That’s a pretty good lineup considering it’s the all-star game.” The Sox selected Taylor in the second round of the 2023 draft out of LSU. Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, voted the National League Rookie of the Year on Monday, was Taylor’s teammate at LSU and the No. 1 pick in that year’s draft. “I’ll talk to him and he’ll tell me different stuff that he notices throughout the league, and he’s like, ‘You can be here very soon, dude,’” Taylor said. “It’s pretty cool for one of my really, really good buddies to believe I can be right up there with him, and he’s at the top of the league.” Taylor, 22, missed the 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He had a 1.13 ERA this year with Kannapolis, striking out 25 in 16 innings. MLB.com ranks him as the No. 6 prospect in the Sox system. “The main goal (this offseason) is just to make sure my body stays in a really good position come February (and) March so I can break camp healthy,” he said. 3. Colson Montgomery improved his internal clock defensively. White Sox prospect Colson Montgomery throws to first base during the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field on July 13, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) Montgomery spent time at third base during the Arizona Fall League, but the shortstop made it clear Wednesday that was a specific case. “I was (doing) anything to help the (Desert Dogs) win and to get in the lineup,” Montgomery said. “I’m a shortstop, and that’s it.” Montgomery liked the progress he made defensively in 2024 at Triple-A Charlotte. He had a .963 fielding percentage, the best of his four years in the minors. “Biggest thing was I improved my internal clock a lot and I felt I was locked in the whole time when I was playing shortstop,” he said. “I was always thinking, ‘If the ball is hit to me, where am I going?’ Not waiting. I was already ahead of it. “And I was thinking the ball was going to be hit to me every single time, and I was going to do whatever I could to keep the ball in the infield and help our pitchers out.”