Cubs Pursued Logan OHoppe At Trade Deadlin

The Cubs need help behind the dish. That statement will not come as a surprise to anyone who has watched baseball on the North Side of Chicago this season. Cubs Minnie Minoso Jersey catchers are batting .199/.246/.305 with a 54 wRC+ in 2024. Those are grim numbers, even considering the lower offensive standards at the position. To add insult to injury, Cubs catchers dont grade out well on defense either, with -4 Defensive Runs Saved (21st in MLB) and a -6 Fielding Run Value (23rd). Overall, , , , and have combined for -0.9 FanGraphs WAR, last in the National League and 29th in MLB. Only the White Sox have gotten le s production from behind the plate. With all that in mind, it makes sense that the team made a serious effort to add a new backstop before the July 30 trade deadline. According to , Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer aggre sively pursued catching this summer. of the Angels was one player he had his eye on. However, Sharma notes that the Angels repeatedly and firmly rebuffed Hoyers attempts to trade for their 24-year-old catcher. This lines up with everything we already knew about Chicagos plan ahead of the deadline. The Cubs were to , arguably the best catcher on the trade block, in mid-July. However, Hoyer later that he wasnt going to make moves that would only improve the roster in 2024, but rather those that would help the team for 2025 and beyond. Jansen is set to reach free agency this winter, as is , the only other notable catcher traded at this years deadline. In other words, neither matched up with what the Cubs were seeking. OHoppe, on the other hand, will not be eligible for arbitration until the 2026 season, and he will not reach free agency until the offseason after the 2028 campaign. Much like , OHoppe could have helped the Cubs compete in 2024 and for several years to come. Yet, for the same reasons, its not hard to understand why the Angels had no interest in giving him up. OHoppe broke out at the plate during an injury-shortened 2023 campaign. In 51 games, he hit 14 home runs and put up a 113 wRC+. His .264 isolated power ranked second among primary catchers (min. 150 PA), while his .500 slugging percentage ranked fourth. The young catcher has continued to hit in 2024, slashing .260/.320/.435 with a 111 wRC+ acro s 101 games. He has also taken a big step forward on defense. His defensive metrics remain below average in just about every category, including pitch framing, blocking, and pop time, but he is not nearly as much of a liability as he was last season. In 2023, he produced -9 DRS and a -7 FRV in just 49 games at catcher. This year, in almost twice as many appearances, he has a much more palatable -3 DRS and -3 FRV. All told, OHoppe has produced 1.8 fWAR, which ranks 10th among primary catchers. Still just 24 and playing in his first full MLB season, he has plenty of time to continue to improve. Los Angeles was quiet at the trade deadline, and reports GM Perry Minasian was unlikely to trade any players who were not on expiring contracts. That turned out to be true, as relievers and were the only players the team ended up selling. One could argue the Angels should have been aggre sive in shopping players with multiple years of team control, such as , , and . However, they had very little incentive to trade OHoppe, especially if they are hoping to contend again in the near future. Thus, the Cubs struck out on OHoppe and ultimately decided to stick with what they had: Amaya, Bethancourt, and, once he returns from the IL, Nido. That means Amaya is the primary catcher, although Sharma notes that the team sees him as a backup for 2025 and beyond. Meanwhile, Bethancourt has been hot since he joined the team as a replacement for the injured Nido in late July. Once Nido is ready to return, Chicago will need to make a decision if he or Bethancourt will be the second-string catcher for the rest of the 2024 campaign. As for next year, Hoyer must addre s the catching position over the offseason. Free agent options will include Jansen, Kelly, , and (if his mutual option with the Rockies is not exercised). The best internal option for the Cubs is top catching prospect , but he is only 20 years old, and Sharma points out that the team isnt sold on his defense. Finally, Hoyer will surely remain active in trade talks, but its hard to say if any big-name backstops will be on the block this winter. Brooks Baldwin Jersey