Cubs fans pretty much knew the team was heading this direction when it became evident that Willson Contreras was no longer viewed as the guy at catcher in the long term. It began with the free-agent signing of glove-first catcher Yan Gomes last season, Contreras getting less time behind the plate in 2022, and the constant trade rumors Contreras was a part of. The Cubs had not engaged in contract talks with Contreras for years and a few weeks ago he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Now, the Cubs are left still searching for another catcher to pair with Gomes and the pickings are slim on the free agent market. The Cubs' top target was Christian Vázquez, who chose to sign with the Minnesota Twins after the Cubs reportedly offered him a similar deal. That was a gut punch that could see the team ultimately settling for another catcher they've been linked to this offseason.
According to Bleacher Nation's Michael Cerami, Tucker Barnhart may be the catcher the Cubs add to their roster this offseason.
And don't get me wrong, there weren't more than a couple catchers available in free agency that could provide much of an offensive upside, but I was still expecting something better.
My reservations about Barnhart coming to the Cubs is that his offense has been brutal his entire career, never posting a wRC+ higher than 90 in nine seasons. In 2022, with the Detroit Tigers, Barnhart slashed .221/.287/.267, in 308 plate appearances.
Barnhart is a switch-hitter and to point to something positive, he was better in his last 110 plate appearances with the Tigers. And well, maybe the Tigers just messed up everyone on their team.
I do have to also point out, that in a platoon with Gomes, Barnhart could be fine, carrying a career .705 OPS against right-handed pitching. Again, that's not good, or even average, but it's not a complete negative in a lineup either, especially when it comes to catchers hitting.
So, why would a team want Barnhart if the bat doesn't look desirable? Well, pitchers seem to enjoy throwing to him, which leads us to believe he's a good game-caller. He has won two gold glove awards in 2017 and 2020, respectively, and his pitch framing has been solid.
However, not sure what happened in 2022, with the Tigers, but for some reason Barnhart was brutal framing pitches in Detroit.
Again, maybe it was just the Tigers stink sticking to Barnhart.
Man, I really hope Miguel Amaya is fully healthy in 2023. I'd love it if he could finally breakout and reach the majors because I don't feel too good about having two catchers in their 30s who aren't even close to average as hitters. I get it, the Cubs are focused on run prevention and guys like Gomes and Barnhart have shown to be positives in that area, but I still thought the Cubs would do better at catcher this offseason.
We'll see. Who knows, maybe there's a last-second trade here for the Cubs, but I think Barnhart will be the catcher pick up for them.
We're almost halfway through the offseason and we've had plenty to talk about on the Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast. Check out the show.
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