The 2024 Chicago Cubs season has gotten off to an uneven start. The team led by manager Craig Counsell is only 31-32 after 63 games. However, they are still very much in the postseason race. The National League Central leads the Milwaukee Brewers by a wide margin, while Chicago maintains one of the three NL Wild Card places. Could the team sign Toronto Blue Jays backstop Danny Jansen to improve its catcher situation?
According to Evan Massey of Sports Illustrated, Jansen would provide the Cubs a “massive catcher upgrade.”
“That being said, there’s one position that needs to be upgraded and isn’t getting enough attention if Chicago decides to get aggressive,” he stated. That position is, you guessed it, catcher, where the Cubs have not had good play this year. Chicago has been depending on Miguel Amaya and Yan Gomes as a duo right now. While neither player is particularly excellent, they haven’t been doing well.
Jansen would be a rental for whichever team was able to acquire him if the Blue Jays were to decide to sell and send him out of town. According to Spotrac, he will make $5.2 million in 2024 before becoming a free agent this winter. In 128 plate appearances this season, the 29-year-old has a.274/.352/.496 batting line, five home runs, ten doubles, 13 RBI, and 19 runs scored.
How Much of an Improvement Would Jansen Provide the Cubs?
As Massey pointed out, Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya are presently in charge of catching for Chicago. It’s fair to say that their offensive input has been far from ideal.
Gomes is scorching through his first 85 plate appearances.148/.176/.235 with seven runs scored, one double, five RBI, and two home runs. Additionally, he just finished a 2023 season in which he played 116 games for the Cubs and recorded a strong.723 OPS. In the front office, there may be hope that Gomes rediscovers his groove and finally delivers at the level he did the previous season.
Amaya is in his second big-league season at the age of 25. In 135 bat appearances, his OPS has fallen to.526 from his debut season of.688. With just five extra-base hits (two doubles, one triple, and two home runs), his triple slash has stabilized at.190/.254/.273.
A Shoddy National League May Persuade Chicago to Purchase at the Last Minute
Even with their recent inconsistency, the Cubs still have a lot of games left. Given how the rest of the National League has played, it might be easy to decide to be aggressive and buy at the deadline.
There are currently just four victorious National League teams. The teams in question are the Philadelphia Phillies (44-19), Los Angeles Dodgers (38-25), Atlanta Braves (35-25), and Milwaukee Brewers (36-26). The Cubs were the only team in the National League with a.500 record prior to their June 6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The other ten teams all had a losing record at the same time.
In the Wild Card standings, six clubs are separated from the Cubs by a mere two games. However, this presents them with an intriguing opportunity to add players to their squad before the July 30 trade deadline.
Following Jansen fulfills Chicago’s requirements in addition to increasing output. Since he is a rental, his present wage won’t put a strain on the payroll, and there is no long-term commitment. If the Jays opt to sell, a deal generally wouldn’t require a huge prospect package. It would be wise for Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer to seriously pursue him should he become available.
