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Cubs Expected To Pursue Catching Upgrade In Offseason

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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.

Cubs Reportedly Place Drew Smyly On Waivers

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The Cubs have placed veteran reliever Drew Smyly on waivers, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (X link). Smyly has not been designated for assignment and can continue to play for Chicago pending resolution of the waiver process. The placement is irrevocable, however, so Smyly would land with another team in the next two days if anyone places a claim.

In situations like this, the team is hoping that the player will be claimed to offload the salary. That’d be a big ask in this case. Smyly is playing on a $10.5MM salary. There’s around $1.9MM remaining. The deal also includes a $2.5MM buyout on a $10MM mutual option for next season. A claiming team would need to assume the entirety of that sum. It amounts to nearly $4.5MM for one month plus potential playoff work of Smyly’s services.

The 35-year-old southpaw has turned in solid results in his first full season as a reliever. Smyly carries a 2.84 ERA over 50 2/3 frames. His 20.4% strikeout rate and 10.8% swinging strike percentage are pedestrian, but he has kept left-handed hitters to a .226/.293/.310 slash in 92 plate appearances.

There’s not much downside for the Cubs in gauging if a contender is willing to take on Smyly’s money to strengthen their lefty relief group. Chicago is 5.5 games out of a Wild Card spot with four teams to surpass. They’re a postseason long shot. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer confirmed last week that the team is on pace to exceed the $237MM luxury tax threshold (link via Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic). It’s not clear how far over the threshold they are, but RosterResource’s unofficial estimate of the team’s payroll has them less than $500K above the line. If they could shed what remains of Smyly’s salary, it’s possible that would suffice to get underneath the CBT mark.

If Smyly goes unclaimed, the Cubs can keep him in the bullpen for the remainder of the season. They do not need to release him or attempt to outright him to the minor leagues.

Cubs Outright David Bote

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The Cubs have sent veteran infielder David Bote outright to Triple-A Iowa, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment on Friday when the Cubs claimed Gavin Hollowell off of waivers from the Diamondbacks.

Bote has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. However, he is a few days shy of the five years of MLB service time he would need to reject the assignment without forfeiting the guaranteed salary remaining on the five-year, $16MM contract he signed with the Cubs during the 2019 campaign. With just under 20% of the season left to play, that works out to about $1.05MM in salary this year, plus a $1MM buyout on his club option for 2025. That’s significantly more money than Bote could command if he elected free agency and signed on with a new team, so he will almost certainly accept the assignment and report to the Iowa Cubs.

In 37 games for the Chicago Cubs this year, Bote hit .304 with a 105 wRC+ over 48 plate appearances. He spent most of his time playing third base, though he also filled in at first and second. Despite his positional versatility and solid offensive numbers off the bench, he was an easy choice for the Cubs to DFA when they needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. Not only has he struggled over the past month (2-for-12 since the All-Star break), but given his unique contract situation, the Cubs knew they could remove him from the roster without the risk of losing him completely. Thus, he will continue to serve as additional depth for the team at Triple-A, where he has 37 doubles, 21 home runs, and a 109 wRC+ in 126 games over the past two seasons.

Cubs Claim Gavin Hollowell, Designate David Bote

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The Cubs have claimed right-hander Gavin Hollowell off waivers from the Diamondbacks and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. The Snakes had designated him for assignment a few days ago. To open a 40-man roster spot, the Cubs have designated infielder David Bote for assignment. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune was among those to relay the news on X.

Hollowell, 26, was drafted by the Rockies and was with that organization until recently. The Diamondbacks claimed him off waivers in June and now he moves via another waiver claim, this time landing with the Cubs.

The interest from clubs likely stems from his big strikeout numbers in the minors, though he has also given out a large number of walks and hasn’t yet transferred those punchouts to the major league level.

The Rockies put him into 30 games over the 2022 and 2023 seasons and he pitched 40 2/3 innings with a 6.20 earned run average. He struck out 21.5% of batters faced in that time and gave out walks at an 11.8% rate. But since the start of 2023, he has thrown 47 minor league innings and struck out 27.9% of batters faced. That’s come with an elevated 13% walk rate and a 4.60 ERA, but clubs are always interested in missing bats.

He still has one option year after this one, so the Cubs could give him a lot of rope in the minors to see if he can rein in his stuff. If he does so, he has less than a year of service time and therefore comes with many years of club control and is still far away from qualifying for arbitration.

Bote, 31, signed an extension with the Cubs in April of 2019, a five-year pact that guaranteed him over $15MM. He served in a multi-positional role for a while but his results eventually tailed off, at least partially due to some injury troubles.

He was outrighted off the roster at the end of 2022 with two guaranteed years still left on his deal. Since he had more than three years of service time, he could have elected free agency, but doing so would have meant walking away from the remaining money on his contract since he was shy of the five-year service mark. Naturally, he stayed with the club and has been with them in a non-roster capacity until they selected his contract again in June.

He has a solid .304/.333/.391 batting line in his 48 plate appearances this year but that’s being held up by an unsustainable .424 batting average on balls in play. He has no home runs in that time and a 4.2% walk rate.

With the trade deadline now passed, the Cubs will have to put Bote on waivers in the coming days. It’s unlikely that any club would claim him and take on the remainder of his contract. He’s making $5.5MM this year with still roughly $1.1MM left to be paid out. There’s also a $1MM buyout on a $7MM club option for 2025.

Bote is still shy of five years of service time, meaning he still doesn’t have the right to reject an outright assignment and keep all of his money. Assuming he passes through waivers unclaimed, he will presumably accept another outright assignment and provide the Cubs with depth in a non-roster capacity.

Cubs Release Josh Staumont

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The Cubs released reliever Josh Staumont from his minor league contract, tweets Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register. It’s not clear if the right-hander triggered an opt-out or if the Cubs simply decided they weren’t going to call him up.

In either case, Staumont returns to the market just two weeks after signing with Chicago. The 30-year-old pitched twice for Chicago’s top affiliate in Iowa. He walked five batters while recording only three outs. Staumont had run a much more impressive 16:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 10 2/3 frames with the Twins’ top affiliate earlier in the season. He clearly did not have any kind of command in his very small sample in Iowa.

A former second-round pick of the Royals, Staumont pitched parts of five seasons with Kansas City. He posted an above-average 26.2% strikeout rate but walked more than 13% of batters faced through 168 1/3 innings. The Royals non-tendered him last winter. Staumont signed a big league deal with Minnesota that guaranteed him $950K. He made 25 appearances for the Twins, working to a 3.70 ERA over 24 1/3 innings. His walks remained high and his strikeout rate dropped sharply to 17.6%, so Minnesota cut him loose when they brought in Trevor Richards at the trade deadline.

Staumont’s camp can again look for minor league opportunities for the next few weeks. He’d need to sign with a team by September 1 to be eligible for postseason play with his new club, though that’s a secondary consideration to pitching his way back to the majors.

MLBTR Podcast: Who Could Get Waived, Potential Rule Changes, Austin Riley, And Hector Neris

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Will any players be placed on waivers before September 1 who could help? (35:15)
  • How much longer do the Tigers stick with Javier Báez and what holes will they be looking to fill in the offseason? (41:00)
  • If Pete Alonso walks in free agency, what will the Mets do at first base next year? (49:40)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Cubs Release Hector Neris

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The Cubs are releasing veteran reliever Hector Neris, reports ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The team already passed Neris through waivers without making a formal announcement of the move. He went unclaimed. Neris’ spot on the 40-man roster will be filled by right-hander Jack Neely, whose contract is being selected from Triple-A Iowa. Neely was acquired from the Yankees in the deadline trade sending Mark Leiter Jr. to the Bronx.

Neris, 35, was signed to a one-year, $9MM contract over the winter and has had an up-and-down season in what’ll now be his lone year with the Cubs. His 3.89 earned run average is sound, but Neris has blown five of 25 save situations on the season while sporting career-worst strikeout and walk rates of 23.1% and 13.3%, respectively.

The more prominent factor in the decision to release the right-hander, however, could be a vesting player option that would’ve kicked in had Neris reached 60 appearances or 45 games finished on the season. He’s only appeared in 46 games right now and finished a game 33 times. Neris thus would’ve needed to pitch in 14 of Chicago’s remaining 37 games — a 37% usage rate — or recorded the final out in 12 of them, but if he’d done so he’d have secured a $9MM player option for the upcoming season. Given his shaky performance, the Cubs very likely weren’t interested in allowing that provision to be reached.

While Neris clearly hasn’t had his best season, he’s only a year removed from a sparkling 1.71 ERA in 68 1/3 frames for the Astros. That mark is also deceptive, as benefited from a .219 average on balls in play and 90.5% strand rate that combined to tamp down his earned run average. Metrics like FIP (3.83) and SIERA (3.89) were more bearish, but between Neris’ 28.2% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate, he still had the makings of a solid all-around season. More broadly, Neris’ track record from 2019-23 on the whole is quite impressive. He pitched 297 1/3 innings between the Phillies and Astros, combining for a 3.12 ERA (3.33 SIERA), 30.2% strikeout rate, 9.6% walk rate, 40.1% grounder rate, 0.97 HR/9, 73 holds and 50 saves.

With Neris returning to the open market, he’ll now be available for any team to sign for the remainder of the season. He’ll only cost his new club the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster/injured list. That sum would be subtracted from what the Cubs are paying him, but Chicago remains on the hook for the bulk of his contract regardless. And, so long as Neris signs with a new organization before Sept. 1 — even on a minor league deal — he can be eligible for that team’s postseason roster. (If he’s not on the 40-man at the time, he’d technically need to be a replacement for an injured player on the postseason roster, but such exceptions happen multiple times quite literally every season.)

As for Neely, he’ll be making his big league debut the first time he takes the mound in a Cubs uniform. The 24-year-old righty was the Yankees’ 11th-round pick in 2021 and has emerged as a legitimate bullpen prospect, brandishing a prototypical fastball/slider combination that’s helped him pitch to a combined 2.42 ERA with a whopping 38% strikeout rate against an 8.5% walk rate in 48 1/3 innings across the Double-A and Triple-A levels with the Cubs and Yanks this year.

MLB.com ranks Neely 18th among Chicago farmhands, while FanGraphs pegs him 22nd. The towering 6’8″, 245-pound Neely sits around 95 mph with his heater — and likely looks faster than that, given the extension his massive frame generates. FanGraphs credits him with a plus (60-grade) slider, while MLB.com’s report tabs it as a true plus-plus (70-grade) pitch — noting the massive whiff and chase rates that Neely generated on the pitch late in the 2023 season.

Neely won’t gain a full year of big league service in 2024, of course, so the Cubs will control him for at least six full seasons following the current campaign. Even if he’s in the majors for good, Neely can’t be arbitration-eligible until the 2027-28 offseason and wouldn’t hit free agency until the 2030-31 offseason. His contract is only just now being selected to the 40-man roster, however, meaning he’ll likely retain a full slate of three minor league option years beyond the current season. As such, future optional assignments could impact his arbitration and free agent timelines. For now, he’ll simply focus on carrying his excellent upper-minors work over to the big leagues and establishing himself as a credible major league bullpen weapon.

Cade Horton Has Setback, 2024 Season Probably Over

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  • Cade Horton also suffered a setback in his rehab from the subscapularis strain that has kept the Cubs pitching prospect off the mound since late May, Cubs president of operations Jed Hoyer told the Chicago Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro.  As a result, Horton’s 2024 campaign is likely over, as Hoyer said the right-hander probably wouldn’t start throwing again until after the minor league season is finished.  Selected seventh overall in the 2022 draft, Horton is considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball, though his first taste of Triple-A action resulted in an ugly 7.50 ERA over 18 innings (five starts).  Between the shoulder strain, this latest setback, and a Tommy John surgery in his college days, Horton has already had to deal with a lot of injury concerns, and his MLB debut will now have to wait until 2025 at the earliest.

Cubs Pursued Logan O’Hoppe At Trade Deadline

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The Cubs need help behind the dish. That statement will not come as a surprise to anyone who has watched baseball on the North Side of Chicago this season. Cubs catchers are batting .199/.246/.305 with a 54 wRC+ in 2024. Those are grim numbers, even considering the lower offensive standards at the position. To add insult to injury, Cubs catchers don’t grade out well on defense either, with -4 Defensive Runs Saved (21st in MLB) and a -6 Fielding Run Value (23rd). Overall, Miguel Amaya, Christian Bethancourt, Tomás Nido, and Yan Gomes have combined for -0.9 FanGraphs WAR, last in the National League and 29th in MLB. Only the White Sox have gotten less production from behind the plate.

With all that in mind, it makes sense that the team made a serious effort to add a new backstop before the July 30 trade deadline. According to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer “aggressively pursued” catching this summer. Logan O’Hoppe of the Angels was one player he had his eye on. However, Sharma notes that the Angels “repeatedly and firmly rebuffed” Hoyer’s attempts to trade for their 24-year-old catcher. 

This lines up with everything we already knew about Chicago’s plan ahead of the deadline. The Cubs were linked to Danny Jansen, arguably the best catcher on the trade block, in mid-July. However, Hoyer later stated that he wasn’t going to make moves that would only improve the roster in 2024, but rather those that would help the team “for 2025 and beyond.” Jansen is set to reach free agency this winter, as is Carson Kelly, the only other notable catcher traded at this year’s deadline. In other words, neither matched up with what the Cubs were seeking. O’Hoppe, on the other hand, will not be eligible for arbitration until the 2026 season, and he will not reach free agency until the offseason after the 2028 campaign. Much like Isaac Paredes, O’Hoppe could have helped the Cubs compete in 2024 and for several years to come.

Yet, for the same reasons, it’s not hard to understand why the Angels had no interest in giving him up. O’Hoppe broke out at the plate during an injury-shortened 2023 campaign. In 51 games, he hit 14 home runs and put up a 113 wRC+. His .264 isolated power ranked second among primary catchers (min. 150 PA), while his .500 slugging percentage ranked fourth. The young catcher has continued to hit in 2024, slashing .260/.320/.435 with a 111 wRC+ across 101 games. He has also taken a big step forward on defense. His defensive metrics remain below average in just about every category, including pitch framing, blocking, and pop time, but he is not nearly as much of a liability as he was last season. In 2023, he produced -9 DRS and a -7 FRV in just 49 games at catcher. This year, in almost twice as many appearances, he has a much more palatable -3 DRS and -3 FRV. All told, O’Hoppe has produced 1.8 fWAR, which ranks 10th among primary catchers. Still just 24 and playing in his first full MLB season, he has plenty of time to continue to improve.

Los Angeles was quiet at the trade deadline, and reports suggested GM Perry Minasian was unlikely to trade any players who were not on expiring contracts. That turned out to be true, as relievers Carlos Estévez and Luis García were the only players the team ended up selling. One could argue the Angels should have been aggressive in shopping players with multiple years of team control, such as Tyler Anderson, Taylor Ward, and Griffin Canning. However, they had very little incentive to trade O’Hoppe, especially if they are hoping to contend again in the near future.

Thus, the Cubs struck out on O’Hoppe and ultimately decided to stick with what they had: Amaya, Bethancourt, and, once he returns from the IL, Nido. That means Amaya is the primary catcher, although Sharma notes that the team sees him as a backup for 2025 and beyond. Meanwhile, Bethancourt has been hot since he joined the team as a replacement for the injured Nido in late July. Once Nido is ready to return, Chicago will need to make a decision if he or Bethancourt will be the second-string catcher for the rest of the 2024 campaign. As for next year, Hoyer must address the catching position over the offseason. Free agent options will include Jansen, Kelly, Elias Díaz, and Jacob Stallings (if his mutual option with the Rockies is not exercised). The best internal option for the Cubs is top catching prospect Moises Ballesteros, but he is only 20 years old, and Sharma points out that the team isn’t sold on his defense. Finally, Hoyer will surely remain active in trade talks, but it’s hard to say if any big-name backstops will be on the block this winter.

Cubs Release Dan Straily, Kyle McGowin

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The Cubs released right-handers Dan Straily and Kyle McGowin from their minor league contracts with the team, as per the official transactions page for the Triple-A Iowa affiliate.  Straily signed with Chicago in April and McGowin signed in May, with both pitchers returning to the affiliated minors after initially signing deals with the independent Atlantic League for the 2024 season.

Straily posted a 4.56 ERA across 803 1/3 innings with six different Major League teams from 2012-19, primarily pitching for the A’s, Marlins, and Reds.  He followed up that MLB tenure with a four-season stint in Busan with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, through Straily also briefly pitched in the Diamondbacks’ farm system in 2022.  Straily had a 3.29 ERA over 503 innings with the Giants, though that overall successful number masks some inconsistency, primarily in a 2023 season that saw the righty deliver only a 4.37 ERA in 80 1/3 frames before being released last July.

The results also haven’t been there for Straily in his age-35 season, as he has a 5.49 ERA, 21.4% strikeout rate, and 10.8% walk rate over 78 2/3 innings for Iowa.  A lot of the damage has been caused by the home run ball, as Straily has given up 18 round-trippers during the limited sample size of his time with the Cubs’ top affiliate.  Keeping the ball in the park was often a struggle for Straily during his days in the big leagues — he allowed a National League-high 31 homers in 2016 when a member of the Reds rotation, and he gave up an incredible 22 home runs in only 47 2/3 innings while pitching for the Orioles in 2019.

McGowin has also had a tough time in Iowa this season, posting a 6.13 ERA in 10 starts and 47 Triple-A innings.  The righty showed much better form in Double-A (2.22 ERA in 28 1/3 IP) and in his brief time with the Atlantic League’s Charleston Dirty Birds (2.70 ERA in 10 innings), but McGowin’s lack of success in Iowa led the Cubs to part ways with the 32-year-old.

McGowin’s big league resume consists of a 5.98 ERA over 64 2/3 innings, all with the Nationals in parts of every season from 2018-21.  His 4.20 ERA over 30 innings in 2021 marked both his best ERA and his highest innings total over a single MLB season, though the Nats outrighted him off their 40-man roster at season’s end and McGowin hasn’t since gotten another look in the Show.  The righty didn’t pitch at all in 2022 while recovering from a UCL injury but resurfaced in 2023 to pitch in independent ball, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and 62 1/3 innings with the Astros’ Triple-A club.

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