There are multiple driving factors behind the Cubs’ disappointing 2024 season, but one of the most prominent flaws has been a catching corps that ranks near the bottom of the league in terms of offensive production. By measure of wRC+, only the last-place White Sox and Marlins have received lesser contributions than the Cubs’ collective .221/.265/.352 from their backstops.
The quartet of Yan Gomes, Miguel Amaya, Tomas Nido and Christian Bethancourt have accounted for all of the Cubs’ plate appearances at catcher this season. And while Amaya has turned things around of late — he’s hitting .358/.402/.589 over his past 105 plate appearances — adding some catching help remains a “priority” for the Cubs in the forthcoming offseason, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
As Sharma explains at greater length, Amaya’s turnaround isn’t necessarily a small-sample fluke. He changed his setup in the batter’s box and ditched his leg kick for a toe-tap back in early July, and his results have taken off since. At the same time, it’s only 105 plate appearances (during which he has a .372 BABIP), and the Cubs understandably aren’t ready to put all their eggs in that one basket just yet.
Adding catching help is a natural goal for the Cubs, not only because of the 2024 group’s overall dearth of production but also because the lineup generally needs more offense but lacks clear areas for potential change. In the outfield, Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong are locked into a rotation. It’s possible Bellinger triggers an opt-out in his contract at season’s end, but he’s no lock to do so when he’s hitting .269/.328/.423 on the season.
Around the infield, things are mostly set with deadline pickup Isaac Paredes at third base, Dansby Swanson at shortstop, Nico Hoerner at second and Michael Busch at first. The Cubs don’t have a set designated hitter, but with four outfielders all meriting regular playing time, one of that quartet can line up as the DH on any given day.
It’s at least possible the Cubs could look to shake up the current group on the offseason trade market, but their options there are limited. Swanson, Happ and Suzuki all have no-trade clauses. Paredes was only just acquired and isn’t going to be moved so quickly. Busch has had a productive rookie season and has five additional seasons of club control. Crow-Armstrong started slow at the plate but has picked up steam of late — and he’s an elite defender who’s gone 26-for-27 in stolen base attempts. Like Busch, he has five seasons of club control remaining.
The middle infield has been a letdown for the Cubs in terms of offensive production. Swanson hit .244/.328/.416 with 22 homers in his first season as a Cub last year but has dipped to .229/.303/.369 this season. He’s still playing exceptional defense, however, and as previously noted cannot be traded without his consent. (The remaining five years on his contract wouldn’t generate huge interest on the heels of a down season at the plate anyhow.) Hoerner’s name popped up on the rumor mill prior to this season’s deadline, with the Dodgers reportedly among the interested teams. He’s hitting .257/.326/.351 as of this writing. Like Swanson, it’s sub-par offense that’s paired with premium defense and baserunning. Hoerner is signed through 2026 and was an above-average hitter as recently as 2023.
All told, the Cubs’ lineup is largely set, with the exception of next year’s starting catcher. Amaya has another month to stake his claim to that role, but catcher is a natural spot for president of baseball ops Jed Hoyer to look to inject some life into his lineup. The Cubs reportedly pursued young Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe prior to the deadline, so it’s hardly a surprise to see that they’re gearing up to look for upgrades this winter.
That said, the upcoming class of free agents doesn’t include a clear-cut answer. Danny Jansen is the top option on the open market, but after hitting .237/.317/.487 (121 wRC+ from 2021-23, he’s stumbled with a .214/.303/.363 slash this season (90 wRC+). Gary Sanchez, Elias Diaz and Carson Kelly are among the other options, but none is a clear candidate to serve as a meaningful upgrade.
The Cubs have a strong farm system and could use some of that prospect depth to pursue alternatives. Their interest in O’Hoppe suggests they’ve perhaps already laid the groundwork on some pursuits of this nature. There’s no indication the Angels are open to moving O’Hoppe, but the Cubs could revisit that scenario. There are other clubs with ample catching depth to spare. The Dodgers have Will Smith signed for another decade but prospects Dalton Rushing and Diego Cartaya behind him (though the latter hasn’t hit well in Triple-A and has seen his stock drop considerably). The Mariners have Cal Raleigh locked in at catcher, but 2021 first-rounder and top prospect Harry Ford isn’t far from MLB readiness. Perhaps the A’s would be open to moving Shea Langeliers and his 22 home runs as he gets another step closer to arbitration.
That’s a speculative list of options, to be clear, but the underlying point remains clear. The Cubs have a need to improve the lineup but little flexibility as they strive to do so, with catcher the most straightforward option. But while that’s a straightforward need, the path to achieve it is obscured by a lack of impactful free agents and clear impact trade candidates at a generally thin position.
I hate to say it but if they can find a good offensive 2B via trade or free agency I think they need to consider it and trade Hoerner. They need new blood on offense and Happ has a no trade so he’ll be hard to trade
If Triantos is close to ready it wouldnt be a bad idea to move Hoerner
They can get Gleyber Torres back this off-season.
He said *good offensive* 2B.
YBC Shhh. Don’t tell everyone. I’m hoping to put it out there and create some buzz in hopes that Cashman won’t bring him back.
That doesn’t seem right. :0
If that happens (which will probably not)
Hoerner for harry ford?
Or am I special ed for mentioning this
Definitely special ed. Not sure how many 2nd bm are worth a top tier catcher. Seattle will be in a bit of a quandary in a couple years. What do they do with Ford and Cal? Ford doesn’t want to move and not sure he should. Cal is great at calling games needs to cut down on Ks but has good power from both sides of the plate. One might be a great trade piece when Ford is ready to come up. We also have Polanco at 2nd. He has turned it around and looks good there. We need some higher contact hitters to make any sort of run in the playoffs. Will have to come this off season. If they would trade Ford need to extend Cal and get a couple high output young players. In the next year or two Young and Emerson will be ready to come up. Celestin the year after. We need to fill in the holes and keep our overrated pitching staff healthy. We have 4 that have long careers ahead of them. Make it so they want to stay. That means score more than 3.2 runs a game or whatever awful numbers they put up.
You kind of just proved what I thought… cal is a player to not trade so ford gets blocked and hoerner is that high batting average guy the mariners don’t have
Personally though I do think we keep our big 3 middle infielders and have Emerson at 3rd, Celesten at SS and young at 2nd by 2027
But… if we trade one of them that complicates things
You kind of nailed it. But not just at 2B. The Cubs have a solid but not spectacular lineup. Not even above average.
They’re going to have to make some tough decisions on where they’re going to look for upgrades. They’re solid but in need of a couple guys opposing teams actually fear at the plate.
Aside from catcher, I’d also look into upgrading over Hoerner at 2B. If they don’t make him part of the return in a hypothetical trade, they could still keep Hoerner as a bench player or someone who gets a decent number of starts if their new guy also becomes part of their DH rotation.
its the obvious spot to upgrade upon. bellinger is i think a 40% shot to opt out, i know it may seem high but age isnt going to do him many favors and this could be his last chance to sign for a contract he desires. then, the cubs would have room for a dh-type of player, or to add to their existing mixes and use a rotational dh spot
Yankees have Trevino available as a low cost option!
Want the opposing team to run wild on the basepaths and trevino is your man. DFA candidate this winter, previous GG (somehow) or not. Little bat and zilcho of an arm behind the plate.
Johnsilver previous platinum glove
I get that he’s a good framer, but that platinum glove is kind of a joke. He probably has one of the worst arms among catchers.
That platinum glove is a joke, arenado shouldn’t have as many of those and Kevin kiermaier and others need more
speaking of awards how did Mike trout win the best defensive player of all of baseball despite never being selected for a gold glove?
“Never being selected for a gold glove”…I didn’t know Mike Trout had NEVER won a GG. It’s odd that a mostly elite(During 1st half of his career)defender like Trout never won a GG, while a slow, portly guy like Vlade Guerrero Jr. did.
Now I’m dumbfounded! How did vlad win one? If there was no one else better to give it to just give it to a guy that’s won them before like Anthony rizzo
More than just framing pitches and blocking balls in the dirt to be a quality reciever. Trevino, as a NYY fan now has his name etched in baseball record books for being behind the plate while allowing a record 9 succesfull SB’s and not all were the fault of Strohman. Trevino’s weak arm was a lot of it.
Teams around the league are aware of it now.
What’s wrong with Arenado’s Platinum Glove collection? Maybe he didn’t always quite deserve it every year for a decade, but he was always deservedly in the running for it as one of the very best defensive players in the NL until his defense started falling off starting last year.
Trout doesn’t play the same position as Vlad Jr., so that’s not a good comparison.
In the first half of his career, Trout mainly lost out to Adam Jones and Kevin Kiermaier. Is that so bad?
He also lost out to Jackie Bradly Jr. once, as well as Luis Robert during the pandemic year of 2020. He didn’t play enough games to deserve it in 2017 or any year since 2021.
Arenado definitely deserved multiple gloves, he makes throws no one else can, but I didn’t think he deserved it every single year
He’ll make $3.5MM or so next season via arb. Good backup for Wells to have. And Cole likes pitching to him.
The Padres’ Kyle Higashioka is a free agent and is having a career year at age 34. He only has 208 plate appearances, but will probably finish the year with more PAs and defensive innings than in any other MLB season of his career.
I would like the Padres to resign him. He is from Southern California, and the Padres are good, so I would think that the Padres have the inside track if they want him back and he wants to come back. The Padres will probably offer him a contract.
The Padres have Ethan Salas who is a highly ranked catching prospect. Some say he may be ready by 2025. From what I hear and read he has a chance to be really good. Getting comparisons to Ivan Pudge Rodriquez.
Without the PEDs I presume? Pudge is a joke.
Shouldn’t have ever let Contreras leave
This is the comment I came here looking for.
Contreras wasn’t the longterm answer catching. Cardinals are 24-27 with him behind the dish. No room for him to DH. And I’m glad they don’t have the contract on the books.
But say the cubs signed him to the same 5 year deal he has with the cardinals, the cubs would be a lot better having another top of the order bat on top of a fan favorite
Or maybe they could have made a move for his bro when The Braves were essentially giving him away
That’s not Contreras’s fault. Aside from a couple of freak injuries this year, Contreras has been one of the Cardinals’ best players. His defense has also improved this year (although that may not have happened had he stayed with the Cubs), and he’s always had a great throwing arm.
Also, did you miss the part about the Cubs using a DH rotation rather than a regular DH? Contreras would’ve fit right into that.
It’s not Contreras’ fault? He’s such a crappy framer that the Cardinals figured the only way he could improve was to catch the ball BEFORE the hitter had a chance to swing. Contreras didn’t get hit with a BACKSWING. He got hit with a SWING. You can keep fooling yourself saying he’s improved but facts are facts. he drives his own pitchers crazy, Calls a bad game and makes crazy irrational throws. And Contreras is hitting .260. Not like we’re talking about Juan Soto here. Counsell has to use what Hoyer gave him. Which is probably the worst bench in MLB when guys who are better at DH rot in Iowa. The DH spot will improve next year simply because it can’t get any worse. Now that Suzuki is there most of the time it already has. So go ahead and keep lying to yourself, But you’re not fooling us my friend. We already know. And you vastly overpaid him, That’s on Mozeliak.
Dam. Another wait til next year for the cubs post
Catching is one of the areas of need-No doubt. The Cubs can always revisit the O’Hoppe trade during the off season. Among other trades as the article stated. From what I heard about a week after the trade deadline is that the Cubs offered infielder Triantos and outfielder Alcantara. Those were supposedly firm names. The Cubs also were tossing in an additional 2 unnamed prospects in the 20-30 range of their top 30 prospect list. The story I heard is the Cubs provided the Angels a list of those prospects in the 20-30 list to choose from. As we know the Angels declined the offer. As always I take what I hear from Chicago sports media as what it is. Most of the time just talk but sometimes interesting to listen in on.
O’Hoppe isn’t going anywhere. This, along with Trout trade ideas, need to quite literally stop, as they’re both alternate reality trades.
O’hoppe is one of the few players the angels SHOULDNT trade, Logan is as strong as wolverine
I’m confused on why the Cubs wouldn’t want to continue to see how Amaya does? He seems to be stepping up.
I’m going to counterpoint here. I think the hardest gauge though is the Cubs have been playing sub par teams so are his stats being fluffed because of that?
It would be silly for the Cubs to simply go after a free agent catcher if there aren’t any better options than what they currently have.
Amaya has been solid defensively and his offense has been great for the last (near) 2 months. Assuming he stays consistent thru the rest of 24, I think he’s the starter in 25. Next year will be his age 26 season and he may be in the middle of unlocking his potential. Now if the Angels decide to let O’Hoppe go, then fine, take a run at him. Otherwise I can see Amaya and one of Bethencourt or maybe Nido starting the year on the ML roster. I expect Hoerner to go this winter since unless Happ can be convinced to give up the no-trade, he’s got the most trade value. Hoerner, Happ, and maybe Busch are movable pieces with value. But for the love of God, I hope the Cubs stay away from franchise killing contracts to Soto or Alonso.
Soto puts us into the playoffs. I’d pay him. Rather have him than any other 2 hitters for sure. Happ and Suzuki gone will pay for Soto, then bring up another rookie next year to compliment Bellinger.
Catchers are tough to acquire during the season, and have to learn the pitching staff.
I have heard that a lot, but I’m not sure it’s really true. I mean the learning the pitching staff part.
He’s been absolutely amazing since July…not just one of the better hitters on the team, but one of the better hitters in the league since then. I’m sure he’ll regress a bit, but his mechanical change appears to have unlocked his offensive potential.
My biggest concern with Amaya is controlling the running game. His pop times and arm strength are at the bottom of the charts, and I just don’t see that making a major turnaround. Can he improve enough there to be servicable? I hope so.
You’re not wrong about the running game, but at least 50% of the blame has to go to the pitchers. I’ve watched every game and the first half of the year the pitchers were generally terrible at holding runners. Since the AS break, they’ve gotten a lot better, especially the new guys.
What I noticed about Amaya is that at every stop in the minors he turned it up after a year or two. Kind of adjusted to the level so to speak. He was doing quite well at triple A when first called up to the show. He’s not going to sustain the pace from the last couple months but quite possibly will develop into a starting catcher. I too believe they need to keep one of the two current backup catchers they have now to pair with Amaya next season and see if they can get an upgrade for the infield.
Has Amaya shown enough where the Cubs would automatically trust him as their starter next year while they are trying to contend? If they promote him to starter and he regresses next year, the Cubs would be stuck with another bleak situation at catcher likely until near next season’s trade deadline if not the whole season.
They sat they sat him down first of July and made a big mechanical adjustment getting his front foot down earlier. He’s been on a tear since.
“In 101 plate appearances since the change, Amaya has slashed .352/.398/.593 with seven doubles, five homers and an 11.9 percent strikeout rate.”
The Cubs: The Dynasty That Never Was.
It was a flop.
Unlike those perennial winners you root for.. smh..
I turned the game off today when the Cubs and the Hendricks failure train were losing 10-3. later I found out they won 14-10. Whatever happened to Bednar? Porter Hodge for President!
Nice for Hodge, but Uncle—have you heard or seen anything on Jorge Lopez? Has pitched one time since the 17th and last night got a little close and there was all kind of opportunity to get him up today…especially in the 9th today with a four run lead and a day off tomorrow.
I’m getting the hunch that his nursing something.
Pretty sure we will get word before tomorrow that the Ethan Roberts era is over again as a Cub. Guys usually don’t walk off the mound after foul balls.
Saw that Counsell announced today that Ben Brown is shut down for the year. That “benign” thing in June seems to be worrisome…
I think Lopez is just the new Closer and isn’t being used unless needed. At least that’s what I hope it is. Even if Brown was healthy right now I don’t see how he pitches at all this year. I just hope they figure out what it is and same with Horton. Just let them have a normal off season and be ready for ST.
As for Roberts that’s when I turned the game off. But JD and Boog were saying maybe he was cramping up. I hope it’s not another UCL. For his sake anyway. I like the kid.
Thanks Uncle—sounds like an ankle for Roberts—but you know where my mind went when he walked off the mound after a foul ball.
The Marlins have won the world series more recently than the Cubs, when you consider the Cubs’ cheating and the Marlins lack of cheating. 2 World Series, actually. Only team in MLB history to win 2 world series in their first 10 years (Marlins)
You’re not only a fool but not really up on current events are ya? Have you been in a coma since 2015? Are you still in one? LMAO
So the Cubs are “cheating”?
I bet you live in the Villages, in Florida.
Not sure what you are referring to. Are you confusing the Cubs with the Astros? No shame in getting momentarily confused, but you should acknowledge that and correct your comment.
The ” Crazy Village”? The one where all your food comes in paper products? that one?
Miami shouldn’t even have a team. The fans are horrible!! Right up there with Oakland and Tampa. 3 of the worst MLB fan bases. At least your team has a newer stadium(hideous btw from visiting it myself) and can’t even put people in the seats. Move Miami, Tampa and Oakland to cities like Vegas, Montreal, Nashville, Charlotte, Portland that deserve and would support a team by showing up! Even the Miami Marlin fan will go to every other park but Miami cause the team and stadium are trash!
Have you been to Portland lately?
If you are going to trash a fan base, please know what you are talking about. The A’s fan base is not terrible — ownership ran the fans off on purpose to support the notion that the team HAS to move. Would you want to spend money on tickets for an owner who has no interest in putting a team on the field that might now win at Triple-A?
Except canada should *not* have any MLB team. Mexico maybe, but *not* canada.
Marlins Fan: why shouldn’t Canada have any MLB team?? This season, the Toronto Blue Jays are drawing 33,901 per game. Meanwhile, the Marlins are drawing 12,975 per game. Perhaps it’s south Florida that doesn’t deserve a MLB team.
As fan base is terrible. Only time they have drawn well is when they are good. Heck teams during the Covid years outdrew the As during reg years. Seems to me not long ago the turnout to games was below 2k for a few games. They don’t even bother to take the tarps off the 3rd level. Ownership has sucked trying to get a free new park but fans still suck. When you can hear the away team fans out chanting the home team something is wrong. When the stadium is so quiet you hear the 3rd base coach fart something is wrong. Seattle turns out for their teams good or bad. Using the owners as an excuse is lazy. We even showed for Sonic games after that overpriced coffee fool screwed the whole area by selling the team to a crook helped along by the crooked comish. So yeah your fan base sucks. It is OK you can just root for the Giants and that football team that plays what an hour away from SF?
Does he fart a lot? That could mean a problem. I suggest a Colonoscopy.
Portland is a wasteland- total dump, first time visiting a few years ago. What a waste, I heard it used to be a beautiful city. Same for San Francisco and L.A.
This isn’t an argument if you like a city or don’t based on your political views. I was making the suggestion regardless how glorious a city is or not in your eyes, whether it can support a MLB franchise. I think Portland would do quite well for itself, unlike Miami, Tampa or Oakland. Those cities have clearly shown they lack much support when their teams are good. Oakland I can hear an argument for but that whole situation is a nightmare. If the city(taxpayers) don’t want to fund a stadium then farewell cause many more cities(taxpayers) would be happy to. Unfortunately that’s how it works in sports these days. Portland has a great supportive fan base for the Trailblazers, so does the San Francisco area teams. The Giants always do well attendance wise, and at least they spend more then 150 million on payroll per year, unlike the 3 teams I mentioned cause their fans never show up…oh unless the game is free.
Except for the fact that it wasn’t. Dynasties haven’t been a thing in baseball in quite some time. Maybe The Dodgers or Yankees can make it a thing again, but other than that, teams tend to have a 3-5 year window to contend before the next rebuild. And if you end up winning a world series in that time, I’d say it isn’t a failure.
The Giants won 3 times in 5 years not that long ago. I’d count that as a dynasty.
Odd that the article doesn’t mention no. 44 overall ranked prospect C Moisés Ballesteros who is in AAA. And no way the Angels are trading O’Hoppe with that much control left.
Because he can’t catch. He’s horrible. He’s really a DH/5’7″ 1B.
It’s still part of the discussion, especially as potential trade bait.
No position for that dude. He’s pure DH.
Ballestereos is not a serviceable ML-level catcher. He’s an MLB DH. I won’t be surprised to see him moved this winter.
I doubt that Ballesteros gets moved unless Hoyer does too. The Cubs love Ballesteros. He’s a great bat. Kyle Schwarber 2.0. I just don’t see him being able to turn his body into a MLB Catcher. Plus his reflexes aren’t all that great. But hey, Maybe I’m wrong. It’s been known to happen. LOL
You may be right. For all Jed has screwed up, the worst was letting Schwarber walk, with the DH about to be league-wide. Imagine that bat, and that leadership in the middle of the Cubs lineup the last 3 years. I’d fire Jed just for that mistake alone.
You would be a crappy boss and even worse owner! Letting a guy go for a mistake, even a bad one, especially in such a game that every FO person have made bad mistake. Even Theo the Great made many mistakes! I’m not saying Jed is a great GM. I’m not saying the Cubs should continue on with him past 2025. I will say though the hate for Jed is weird to me. He’s done some amazing things and some bad things. Like everyone in a baseball FO. I would take Jed over 99.9% of the people who come and blast him on social media cause 1. They would get fired for having a 500 million dollar payroll of busts cause they all love the shiny new toy and want every FA not worrying about cost 2. They would have one bad year(or series at that) and want to blow it all up and increase the payroll to 1 billion the following year.
Jed’s made a ton of mistakes. but mostly on the GM side of things. Bad contracts, and long term roster construction being the biggest. He’s a great POBO. He should stick with that. And hire somebody to do what he’s bad at. But like with all things his ego gets in the way and he doesn’t see it. Every year the Cubs have like 20 million dollars in dead money and can’t make a deal at the deadline without going over the tax. He should stay in his office and oversee. It’s a valuable skill too.
Was just reminiscing about this the other day. Hoyer didn’t just let Schwarbs walk, he packed his stuff and booted him. Such a head scratcher, who would want a 40-HR threat LH slugger w strong OBP?! Nah… cut him bc his defense stinks.
We won’t get O’Hoppoe. The word among their fans is he’s worth 5 top 100 prospects. Cubs only have 6 so I guess that’s out. The only other one that looks interesting is Langiliers and he’s not all that interesting. Maybe the Cubs and Braves can cook something up as they have Murphy and d’Arnaud. I’d take either one to go with or in front of Amaya. Cubs have to have something they want. Maybe Bellinger?
The people that say he’s worth 5 top 100s would make the biggest trade in mlb history, for an arrow up but not completely proven catcher
Multiple years of Juan Soto was worth 3 top 100s for comparison
And Bat Crap Crazy.
First of all, fans don’t know anything. Why quote delusional fans? 5 top 100 prospects – come on dude. But I’d buy low on Murphy. Rough season but could bounce back.
Why quote delusional fans? Cause it’s fun Dude. That’s why. LOL
Check out Marlins Fan above. Dude is seriously deranged. LOL
I don’t think I’ve met a sane mlb fan from both Florida teams
Ohoppe is right up the Cubs alley for a Catcher. Bad at Defense and avg hitter. Not really good at anything
Contreras is light years better than Ohoppe. Career Avg WRC+ of 121 hitting and +2 in defense. Both better numbers than Ohoope
Well give you Alex Jackson for nothing. Remarkable he’s lasted this long all season
I know it will not happen being division for but Cards have plenty of depth at catcher. Herrara Pages And Crooks tearing up AA. I’m sure some of them would be available. St Louis has a real good hitting catcher with passable defense and very good arm. Think Contreras is his name. One of best hitting catchers in league. Had he not gotten 2 broken bones would have had a great year
And you’ll be saying that every year. And he’s a horrible framer and game caller but Hey, As long as you’re happy I’m good. Oh and expensive too.
cardinals are lost. Large reason theyre pitchers underperfrom
Contreras’s framing has improved quite a bit this year. Overall, he’s a well above average catcher and worth the money on his current contract.
martin maldanado won world series and his numbers sucked. Way more too whatever fangraphs shows his value is. Cardinals trashed hiim last year for reason
Look, they need a solid closer too! But you’d never hear Hoyer admit that. He’s too arrogant. He thinks anyone can pitch in the 9th, but it takes a special cat to do that.
Hoyer’s solution to getting a closer was signing Hector Nerris, and look how that worked out…
This season was supposed to be Cubs going toe to toe with the Brewers for the NL Central, and the team disappointed badly. Hoyer better get his act together for 2025 else Brewers are going to continue to run circles on him…
Hoyer ‘solution’, was signing Neris to be one of the SET UP men for Alzolay! Not to be the closer.
Neris got the job by default, when Alzolay and Merryweather went down.
Cubbies going to bring back David Ross as player- manager.
Hey getting a quality catcher you have to pay either in money or prospects . Contreras is worth everything the Cards are paying him. His catching has improved since he’s been there. Being cheap gets a team in a position Cubs are in at that position
Do you mean Contreras is actually preparing for each game? That was a main reason for his early demotion from the Cards catching job, in the first place. His lack of attention to the non offensive details of the catching position, was the reason why he was a DH for a good portion of his last season as a Cub.
Curious as to where this upgrade is going to come from, seeing as the list of Upcoming FA catchers: Elias Díaz, Gary Sánchez (mutual option), Yasmani Grandal, Danny Jansen, Travis d’Arnaud, Yan Gomes, Francisco Mejía, Austin Barnes (club option), Omar Narváez, Carson Kelly, James McCann, Martín Maldonado (club option), Tomás Nido, Austin Nola, Austin Hedges, Jacob Stallings, Max Stassi (club option), Andrew Knizner
And that’s a whole lotta has beens and never will bes.
Langeliers isn’t going anywhere, this is silly…
I also agree this article is silly. If Amaya continues to play anywhere near to his last two months, over the next 5 weeks – the Cubs certainly won’t be looking to replace Amaya as a starter. They might try to get someone to share time, IF that type of player is available. But I do not think Catcher will be the No 1 priority on the off season ‘wish list’.
They’ll be looking to get another TOR type SP. Also a good RP will be shopped for.
Hoerner could be traded, to get the RP. I love Triantos bat – but I’m not sure the Cubs are sold on his glove. Shaw is a different story – I believe Shaw would have first shot at 2B, should Hoerner be traded.
Look if Gomes had played like he did for the last 2 years this wouldn’t even be an issue. I can’t blame Hoyer for that. Gomes just fell off a cliff. No warning. Not the Tick….Tick… Tick…. a bomb makes, It just went off. It happens. Then Amaya follows suit. We all knew he wasn’t as bad as he was playing, Nor is he as good as he is playing now. All we need is something in the middle. Aliendo got hurt and missed like 2 months and just got back or he would have gone to Iowa with the other 3 Musketeers. Hopefully he starts out in AAA next year and can be counted on. So all you really need IMO, Is a short term closer and another short term C. We don’t need Josh Hader, The 5 year 100 million dollar closer , We need a guy like Tanner Scott, 2 years 35 million. An overpay to be sure, But it’s better to overpay to keep the YEARS down until the young arms show themselves to be worthy. Plus it wouldn’t hurt to have another LH reliever out there. The No movement clauses hamstring what you can do here and that’s on Hoyer. Maybe you can move Bellinger if he won’t opt out. You can move Hoerner. Triantos doesn’t have Hoerner’s glove but he’s just as skilled on the bases and probably a little better bat. I can live with that. What Counsell really needs is a bench he can count on, Not the slugs he’s had for most of the year. Maybe that’s Shaw and Caissie although it should be. Vasquez, Shaw, and Caissie is a whole lot better than Tauchmann, Wisdom, and Mastrobuoni. Who should never be seen here again.If Hoyer keeps it simple, And keeps it in his pants and doesn’t do anything really stupid it’ll be fine. I wish, I wish, What I really wish is that Hoyer had made Scott Harris GM not Hawkins and stayed upstairs to be POBO. That’s what I really wish.
you think the A’s trading away a good young player before he starts to get pricey via arbitration is silly?
Sorry, my comment wasn’t in regard to Oakland. But my opinion regarding your question about Oakland trading a good young player before they got pricey, is:
When Oakland does it too often, yes I do think that could be silly – at some point you need to show faith and GO for it. So if you don’t seem to ever get to that point, get out of the business.
You can book it that Hoyer will trade Alcantera this off-season.
You think so? If they can get a starting pitcher whose ready or close to ready. It would be a good.trade. unfortunately Kevin Alcantara will be the odd mam out from OF Prospects
Yes. But that’s not why Hoyer will trade Alcantara, as opposed to, say, ONKC or Shaw or Horton or Triantos. How can I say this, delicately: have you noticed that there isn’t ever anyone who, uh, LOOKS LIKE Alcantara on Hoyer’s teams?
Fools gold on Paredes. He’s not this bad but he’s nowhere near the player he was in TB the last 2 years. He doesn’t barrel enough balls. TB will look good for that deal.
If the Angels trade O’Hoppe. And I would not put it past them. The GM should be FIRED on the spot. Catching in the show is at a premium. Hills could be one of the better catchers in the league in a couple of years
Reports after the trade deadline were pretty clear, the Angels told Jed to go pound sand and didn’t negotiate on O’Hoppe. I see the interest but he’s far from proven- let alone a star.
Amaya hat out-hit him by miles since the AS Break. Cubs have benefited from NOT acquiring O’Hoppe.
They will sign Danny Jansen to 2/12
With the way Adrian Del Castillo has performed since Gabriel Moreno got hurt, the Dbacks could be looking to capitalize on his value this off-season.
Leave Swanson & Hoerner where they are and upgrade at 3rd and 1st. You need power at those positions – not sure who’s out there and available, but Busch is a nice complimentary piece and I’m not sold on Paredes at this point. If you can get a power OF/DH bat and keep Belli at first that’s fine too. They need more offense somewhere.