The Cubs have addressed several areas of need so far this offseason in free agency, getting one of the top position players in shortstop Dansby Swanson, improving center field with Cody Bellinger, strengthening the rotation by signing Jameson Taillon, (and Drew Smyly soon) while also adding veteran reliever Brad Boxberger to the bullpen. However, one part the Cubs have failed to get better at is the catcher position.
Christian Vázquez was the Cubs' top choice to pair up with Yan Gomes, but the two-time World Series champion signed with the Minnesota Twins instead. The free agent list of catchers has been getting smaller and right now it appears as though the Cubs are targeting Tucker Barnhart. I'm not a huge fan of Gomes and Barnhart as the catching duo next year, especially if there's a chance to trade for a catcher.
We haven't really seen the Cubs connected to many trade rumors for a catcher, besides the brief mention of being one of the teams interested in Sean Murphy. That brings us to the Toronto Blue Jays, who have three catchers that are reportedly available via trade.
Trade Ian Happ to Blue Jays for a Catcher?
MLB Trade Rumors writer Steve Adams brainstormed trade partners for the Blue Jays and their catchers.
Here's what Adams wrote about the Cubs, bringing up Ian Happ as a potential trade piece for the Blue Jays in exchange for one of Toronto's backstops. Via MLB Trade Rumors.
The Cubs let Contreras walk, deferring to the older and more defensively-minded Yan Gomes while waiting for prospect Miguel Amaya, who missed much of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Any of the three Jays catchers would be an upgrade to the Cubs’ roster, and either Kirk or Moreno would supplant Amaya as the organization’s catcher of the future. The Cubs don’t have the controllable, big-league-ready bat the Jays might prefer, but they could send a year of switch-hitting outfielder Ian Happ and a prospect package behind him if they were to become serious about landing a Toronto catcher.
So, the implication here from Adams is that the Cubs would need to trade Ian Happ and a prospect or two for either Alejandro Kirk or Gabriel Moreno.
I can't speak to how good either catcher is on defense, but Kirk and Moreno can hit. Kirk has played in 208 games with the Blue Jays and has a career slash line of .278/.362/.426, well above average for a hitter and great numbers coming from a catcher. In 2022, Kirk hit .285 and had a .372 OBP, walking more times (63) than he struck out (58) splitting time at catcher and designated hitter.
Kirk, who only turned 24-years-old in November, is still under team control through the 2026 season.
Meanwhile, Moreno made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in 2022. He played in 25 games and had a slash line of .319/.356/.377, in 69 at-bats. Moreno had an .806 OPS at Triple-A, hitting .315 in 62 games.
In July, Moreno was ranked as the No. 1 prospect Baseball America's top-100 rankings.
So yeah, Happ, who has one year left before hitting free agency, would only be one piece in a much bigger deal for either Kirk or Moreno.
At this point, I don't think the Cubs would trade Happ. I mean, I guess there's a scenario where they justify a trade because they would drastically be improving their catching situation and then they sign Michael Conforto to play left field with Happ gone. Even then, I still prefer just signing Conforto and figuring out the playing time later with Happ remaining on the roster.
The Blue Jays also have Danny Jansen on their roster. He's been solid for the Blue Jays, too, and his power numbers jumped in 2022, when he posted a .514 slugging percentage, hitting 15 home runs in 72 games. Jansen, 27, is eligible for free agency after the 2024 season and is projected to earn a little more than $3.5 million in arbitration in 2023.
It would definitely sting to lose Happ, but I can't lie that I am more than intrigued by Toronto's catchers, especially Kirk. That dude just seems like a lot of fun.
We'll see though. Like I mentioned above, the Cubs have not really been linked to any trade talks with the Blue Jays besides writers speculating about a potential fit between the two teams.
Speaking of trade rumors, we might be seeing Nick Madrigal's name pop up in them more often. They're already starting. We'll be sure to talk about Happ, the catching situation and more trade rumors on the Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast. In the meantime, check out last week's episode.
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