The Cubs Are Desperate For Catching Help, Here Are Two Trade Options

Still, context does matter. The Cubs, ideally, are a team on the upswing. No matter how you feel about the current major league roster, they have what FanGraphs rates as the best farm system in baseball. In a perfect world, the future is brighter, perhaps as soon as next season. 

Maybe that’s wishful thinking. Maybe it’s reality. This all got me thinking: Is there anyone out there that the Cubs could trade for, which might help them this season but also for next year or years beyond? Miguel Amaya and Yan Gomes have combined to be worth -1.4 Fangraphs WAR so far this year, and there aren’t many internal options for improvement, depending on your opinion of Moises Ballesteros and how close to the majors he really is. 

Let’s look at two guys who could fortify this year’s team, but also for future seasons, at the Cubs’ biggest position of need. 

Danny Jansen
Let’s address the obvious up front: Jansen is a free agent at the end of this season. Acquiring him won’t necessarily be a move for future seasons unless you fully plan on paying him this offseason. All that said, I absolutely believe that Jansen will be available, and with the current state of the Cubs’ depth chart at catcher, they have to show interest. 

Jansen, who turned 29 earlier this season, has been one of the better catchers in baseball since the 2021 season. Much of that value comes from the offensive side of the ball, where he elevates the ball a lot. He has had over a 50 percent fly-ball rate in the past three seasons, while the major league average has come in at about 37 percent: this, plus his low strikeout rate, results in many long balls. 

While he isn’t exactly Yadier Molina behind the plate, Jansen isn’t a slouch, either. According to Baseball Savant, he has been a little below average in throwing runners out over the past four seasons, and he is about average as a pitch framer. He really excels in blocking pitches, as Baseball Savant estimates he has saved seven runs since 2021, which is tied for fifth in all of baseball.  

I know most probably won’t jump at the proposition of trading for a catcher who will soon be 30 in what is starting to feel like a lost season, especially when you have to pay him this offseason to keep him. But the fact is that the catching situation has to be rectified, and Jansen is the closest thing to an easy solution. Getting him in-house this season could build that relationship while getting a feel for how he fits with the team and the pitching staff. 

Alejandro Kirk
Another Toronto Blue Jay! Except this time, he’s younger, at 25 years old, and won’t be a free agent until after the 2026 season. Naturally, this also means he would cost significantly more to acquire. 

Your own personal taste for acquiring Kirk probably depends on what you think of him as a hitter. He was an above-average hitter in both 2021 and 2022 because he hit the ball hard, though a high ground ball rate kept his slug down. Last year, his hard-hit rate dropped, which resulted in a decrease in production, and now, this year, he is suddenly hitting the ball in the air much more than usual. 

You’d think an elevated fly ball rate would be a good thing, particularly at the expense of his ground ball rate. Unfortunately, per FanGraphs, he has a -14 wRC+ on fly balls, thanks to a lousy 8.3 percent pull rate. Still, Kirk’s ability to put the ball in play (11.2 percent strikeout rate for his career) coupled with a good eye at the plate (10.6 percent walk rate) suggest that the backbone of a solid hitter is here. 

Regardless, this all ignores where his real value lies, which is his defense. According to Baseball Savant, he has been worth four catcher framing runs above average, which is top five in all of baseball. He has also caught 29 percent of would-be base stealers, which would certainly be a major upgrade from Miguel Amaya’s three percent caught stealing rate. 

Assuming the Blue Jay looks to sell, I’d have to believe both of these guys would be available. Given the state of the rest of their roster, they’d likely look for major league-ready players or something close to it. What would you all be willing to give up?