Ivy League Cubs

By: Jacob Zanolla

One problem the Cubs had most of the season was at catching. Until the middle of July, Miguel Amaya was one of the worst hitters in baseball. At first, he was paired with an even worse hitter in Yan Gomes. Eventually Christian Bethancourt came along, and things started to click offensively. With Bethancourt gone, the Cubs need a new catcher.

At first, the hope was a trade would be possible to acquire a star catcher that could start the majority of games. Two names that come to mind are Logan O’Hoppe and Cal Raleigh. As reported previously, Jed Hoyer made an aggressive push to acquire O’Hoppe at the deadline a few months ago, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he tried again this winter. However, the Angels have made it very clear that they have no interest in trading him. Sure, things can change, but probably not in this instance. Raleigh would be my prime target at catcher, and is probably affordable prospect wise for the Cubs. He would be very expensive, but that’s why teams build up their farm system to one of the best in baseball. Alas, there is no reason for the Mariners to trade him, meaning both options at catcher have a near zero chance of happening. Before anyone asks me, no, the Cubs are not trading back for Willson Contreras.

One name that is much more realistic when looking at the trade market is Shea Langeliers. Langeliers isn’t a free agent until 2029, which would give the Cubs a catcher for all of their hopeful contention window. He posted a 109 wRC+ with 29 home runs in 2024, earning 2.0 fWAR throughout the season. He would probably start a majority of the game, giving Amaya the true backup role.

Free agency wise, one of the most experienced catchers available is Carson Kelly. He will be entering his 10th major league season, with a career fWAR of 5.9. Kelly doesn’t strike out a lot, with a K% of 17.6%. His defense is near the top of baseball, with 4 runners caught stealing above average. Something that I quickly realized when looking at the free agent catchers is that none of them are amazing, and there isn’t a clear best option.

The Atlanta Braves declined Travis d’Arnaud’s option for 2025, making him a free agent. He was due to earn $8 Million, so I can understand why they weren’t wanting to pay him that much to be a backup to Sean Murphy. For the Cubs, he’s a great partner for Miguel Amaya. d’Arnaud was admittedly not amazing last season, but his 103 wRC+ and .739 OPS were both above league average. His defense isn’t as strong as Kelly’s, but the offensive upside is definitely more prominent with d’Arnaud. [Travis d’Arnaud signed with the Angels on Nov. 12th]

There are many other catching options to look at in free agency, and even more to explore on the trade market. With a trade unlikely, it’s probably down to Kelly and d’Arnaud. Players like Yasmani Grandal, Danny Jansen, Kyle Higashioka, and Jacob Stallings are all available as well. I didn’t include them because they either aren’t at the level I am wishing for, or the fit just doesn’t seem right. While it’s disappointing that a big-name catcher won’t be coming over to Chicago any time soon, the late breakout of Miguel Amaya should give Cubs fans hope that he can hold down the position, giving Hoyer more time to fix more glaring problems.

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