The Cubs should be looking at FA catchers, and here is one.
The Cubs will be seeking a catcher this offseason to pair with Miguel Amaya.
In fact, they will need to sign or trade for someone at this position, I’d think, reasonably soon. At the moment, Amaya is the only catcher on the Cubs’ 40-man roster.
Carson Kelly might fit the bill.
He was a high-round (second) pick of the Cardinals in 2012 out of high school in Oregon. Pretty much blocked there by Yadier Molina, Kelly played only a handful of games for St. Louis before he was one of the centerpieces in the deal that sent Paul Goldschmidt from the Diamondbacks to the Cardinals. (The other was Luke Weaver, now the Yankees closer.)
Kelly had an excellent season in his first year in Arizona: .245/.348/.478 with 18 home runs in 111 games. He has not hit anywhere near that well since, and has also since drifted to the Tigers and Rangers. He finished 2024 with Texas.
For Kelly’s career he has been an above-average guy at throwing out baserunners and in general had good defensive numbers, except for the 31 games he played for the Rangers last year.
Kelly is 30. He signed a $3.5 million deal with the Tigers for 2024, after being signed there in August 2023 following his release by the Diamondbacks. That’s less than he made from Arizona in 2023 ($4.275 million).
The Cubs are likely looking for a veteran like this to back up Miguel Amaya and serve as a one-year bridge to when (hopefully) Moises Ballesteros would be ready to play in MLB in 2026. (And no, I would not have Ballesteros play in MLB in 2025. At all.)
I’d think Kelly could be had for $2.5 million for 2025. Give him a mutual option at $3.5 million for 2026 — if he’s good and Ballesteros still isn’t ready, it might be worth keeping him another year. Otherwise pay him a $500,000 buyout.
Who says no?