Chicago Cubs 2025 Position Analysis: Catcher

[Jason Ross]

In 2024, catcher was one of the weakest spots on the Cubs roster. They attempted to upgrade at the position at the deadline, but came up short. How does the position look as the Cubs head towards Opening Day 2025?

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

To put it bluntly: 2024 was not a good year for Cubs catchers. Yan Gomes, coming off a strong 2023 campaign, finally had father time catch up to him and his play fell off significantly. Miguel Amaya took a step backwards (at least in the first half) and was unable to take the reins of the position. On the season, according to fangraphs, the Cubs finished with a negative WAR at the position (good for 26th in baseball), a 69 wRC+ (25th in baseball), and had a bottom-10 defensive WAR at the position. 

There were some positives, however, in that Miguel Amaya tweaked his swing later on and there were positive impacts. Through the first half of the season, Amaya struggled immensely, posting a dreadful 60 wRC+ and looking generally lost and out matched. The Cubs identified his mechanics as a point of emphasis and had Amaya debut a new swing post All-Star break to resounding success. The catcher put up a 113 wRC+ in his final 144 plate appearances. More excitingly, it wasn't BABIP fueled, meaning there remains some belief that this is partially repeatable. He did slump over the last month, which is a good reminder that he's not entirely out of the woods, but it gives him a shot at being in the Cubs' plans in the future. 

Entering the offseason, the Cubs had two paths forward at the position; they could look to upgrade entirely over Amaya, pushing him down a notch, or look for a competent partner to pair with Amaya in a 1a/1b type of relationship. With options at the position thin, the Cubs opted for the latter. After being connected to players such as Danny Jansen, who would eventually sign with Tampa Bay, the Cubs would sign Carson Kelly to a two-year contract. Coming off a strong offensive season, Kelly will help raise the floor for the Cubs in the event that Amaya's changes don't stick. It will also help improve the Cubs' defense at the position, as MLB's Statcast had him in the 77th percentile for catching defense in 2024. 

The Cubs will likely only carry these two catchers on their MLB roster at the start of the season, but catchers have a tendency to get hurt with the physical nature of the job, so depth matters. To help supplement in Iowa, the Cubs signed veteran catcher Carlos Perez. Perez spent 2024 with the Oakland Athletics' Triple-A team, and provides the Cubs with veteran depth. Perez won't wow anybody, as he's has had an up-and-down professional career thus far, but he's got some MLB experience. You can do worse from a third-catcher-perspective. The good news for the Cubs is that the former Athletics backstop isn't the the only option the Cubs have at the position, and their other option provides a a much higher ceiling.

Where things get a little murkier is that one of the Cubs best prospects, Moises Ballesteros, also plays catcher, with the caveat of "we don't really know how well he plays the position yet". I wrote about Ballesteros in our look at the top 20 prospects in the system, but the short and quick of it is that Big Mo's bat has all the hallmarks of being for real, but the glove is much more of a question mark. If the Cubs have an injury to either Amaya or Kelly, it will be interesting to see if the team goes with the safer, lower-ceiling veteran option in Carlos Perez or if the team believes in Ballesteros' glove enough to promote him. 

The Cubs clearly went into the offseason looking to improve the position, and it's probable that they have done just that. How much they improved is probably more of the question — if Carson Kelly reverts to the 2023 version offensively (.565 OPS) and if Amaya doesn't continue his second-half improvements, the position will likely will need to be re-addressed at mid-season. On the flip side, the Cubs have two catchers who both could be legitimate MLB starters while also having a wild card in Moises Ballesteros looming in the wake. 

What do you think of the Cubs catching situation as they enter the 2025 season? Do you believe in the improvements from Miguel Amaya? Do you think they will need to go with Ballesteros at any time? Let us know in the comments section below!

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