Even though the Chicago Cubs head into the All-Star break in last place of the NL Central, they only face an 8.5-game deficit behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. Plus, they’re just 3.5 games back from snagging a Wild Card spot.
The Cubs are already making plans with the July 30 MLB trade deadline bearing down upon us. One area that could use improvement is the catcher position in Chicago.
Miguel Amaya has played 67 games, but his 56 OPS+ is well below average (100). The same goes for 36-year-old Yan Gomes, who played 34 games but was released after having a woeful OPS+ of 17. So the Cubs responded by signing Tomas Nido. While the 30-year-old has only played in 14 games, his OPS+ of 18 isn’t much better.
If the Cubs want to play into October, chances are they’ll have to find a better catcher who can be a threat in the batting lineup. But one insider says they’re already making trade calls.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Chicago Cubs have looked into trading for Toronto Blue Jays starting catcher Danny Jansen.
“The Chicago Cubs have expressed interest in Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen.”
Bob Nightengale on Chicago Cubs trade rumors
The 29-year-old Jansen may not be a star player by any means, but he’s a lot better as a hitter than what the Cubs have been working with. He’s also very attainable with the Blue Jays expected to be major sellers ahead of the deadline as they too are in last place, but face a much bigger deficit.
- Danny Jansen stats this season: .223/.316/.391/.707/100 OPS+, 6 HR, 17 RBI
With Jansen entering free agency at the end of the season, there’s no need for the Blue Jays to hold onto the catcher who’s earning a $5.2 million salary this year. If Chicago wants a low-cost roster upgrade, Jansen may be one of the best options available.
Related: Toronto Blue Jays fire sale ‘expected soon’
More must-reads:
Local Chicago, IL
Most Popular
Comments / 0