Despite being in last place in the NL Central heading into the All-Star break, the Chicago Cubs trail the first-place Milwaukee Brewers by only 8.5 games. Plus, they’re only 3.5 games away from securing a Wild Card position.
The Cubs are already making plans as the July 30 MLB trade deadline approaches. The catcher position in Chicago may use some upgrading.
Miguel Amaya has 67 games, yet his OPS+ is 56, which is significantly lower than the league average of 100. The same is true for 36-year-old Yan Gomes, who played 34 games but was discharged due to a low OPS+ of 17. The Cubs replied by signing Tomas Nido. While the 30-year-old has only appeared in 14 games, his OPS+ of 18 isn’t much higher.
If the Cubs want to compete until October, they’ll need to find a better catcher who can be a threat in the batting order. However, one insider claims they are already making trades.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Chicago Cubs have considered dealing for Toronto Blue Jays starting catcher Danny Jansen.
The 29-year-old Jansen isn’t a star player, but he’s a much better hitter than what the Cubs have had so far. He’s also extremely achievable, with the Blue Jays projected to be significant sellers before the deadline, given they are also in last place but have a far larger deficit.
With Jansen set to enter free agency at the conclusion of the season, the Blue Jays have no need to keep the catcher, who is paid $5.2 million this season. If Chicago wants a low-cost roster makeover, Jansen could be one of the best alternatives.