Cubs offseason trade options: Catcher |
Now that the World Series has concluded, and congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers for winning it all, it's time to focus on the 2024 MLB offseason, which could be a very interesting one for the Cubs. With Kyle Hendricks and Jorge Lopez already hitting the open market and a vast majority of coaching changes going down, you have already seen the wheels turning in what could be a busy offseason.
However, this roster needs a lot of work to compete, but given how this team operates in free agency, you have to think the trade market is the route to go. They have the prospects to get the job done and some openings on their roster to improve, and they need to do what it takes to make things happen. Today, we will look at the trade market for the Catcher position, which this team would love to improve on. Neither Miguel Amaya nor Yan Gomes gave the Cubs the production they were looking for, but Amaya did show a massive turnaround over the second half of the season, which, at the very least, could pencil him in as a backup. The Cubs then added Christian Bethancourt as a backup in June, and he gave the team the production they were lacking from a backup backstop. Heading into the 2025 season, the Catcher position is still a question, and the Cubs would love to upgrade at that spot. One name that will continue to surface is Christian Vazquez, who was a Cubs target last offseason. Vazquez was a trade option back in 2022, and the Cubs tried to get him in 2023 before he opted to sign with the Twins instead. Given how much his offensive production has dropped over the past two seasons, it's safe to say that he may be hitting the wall in terms of his offensive production. While his days as an everyday starter could be over, he is a valuable asset to have on your roster to provide the veteran leadership this team hasn't had.
Elias Diaz is also a name that comes to mind. He was very high on the Cubs' radar last season until he got injured midseason. Like a lot of catchers in today's game, any type of offensive production is a huge bonus, but Diaz has benefitted from hitting at Coors Field in recent seasons. What he does provide more than most is a cannon of an arm behind the plate mixed with one of the more accurate throwing arms in the game.
For a team that ranked near the bottom of the league when it came to throwing runners out, Diaz makes a ton of sense in that aspect, as he would be an instant upgrade defensively.
The question is, does he provide enough offense for them to use him as an everyday option?
If the Cubs are looking for offensive production from the catcher position, why not consider the Sacramento A's catcher Shea Langeliers?
Acquired from the Braves as part of the Sean Murphy deal, the 26-year-old has proven to be one of the better offensive catchers in the game and has shown why he was a top-100 prospect in the Braves system.
While his .224 average isn't what this team is looking for, his 29 homers and 80 RBIs are, as he would've led the Cubs in homers and would have been third in RBIs had he been on this team last year. He also has a strong and accurate arm and would do a great job neutralizing the running game.
When you look at the direction the Cubs are going, Langeliers would ultimately cost the most to get a deal done, but knowing how many years of control he has, the cost of those years, and his overall age, he plays right into the Cubs' hands for what they want to do. It would allow them some more time to figure out how to get Moises Ballesteros to the bigs while also picking up the production they have lacked from behind the dish since moving on from Willson Contreras.
