The 2024 season did not go as planned for the Chicago Cubs. They began the year with high hopes and as perhaps the favorites to win the NL Central, but wound up missing the postseason for the fifth straight 162-game season (excluding 2020).
Several reasons can be attributed to the Cubs having an underwhelming season, but one clear weakness of the 2024 Cubs was the catcher position. Cubs catchers ranked 26th in the majors with a 69 WRC+ and 29th in the majors with -0.1 fWAR. The only team below them was the Chicago White Sox – the team that just wrapped up the worst season in modern baseball history.
Miguel Amaya finished pretty strongly and Christian Bethancourt was a surprising spark plug for the Cubs behind the plate down the stretch, but neither of them should be handed the reigns to start for a team trying to make the postseason with their track records in mind. Knowing this, bringing in an external reinforcement makes a lot of sense. The Atlanta Braves might've just gifted the Cubs an appealing option.
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Braves might've gifted Cubs an ideal catching solution with Travis d'Arnaud decision
The Braves made a surprising decision on Monday, declining Travis d'Arnaud's club option. What made this surprising was that the option was only worth $8 million, a very reasonable amount for a player of his caliber. Now, he's a free agent, and is able to sign with any of the 30 teams. A team like the Cubs might be at the top of his list.
In what was a disappointing season for the Braves overall, d'Arnaud was mostly solid for Atlanta, slashing .238/.302/.436 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI in 99 games played. His 103 OPS+ suggests he was slightly above league-average as a hitter, which is very solid for a catcher.
The Cubs lacked any sort of production close to what d'Arnaud gave the Braves, so signing him would be a no-brainer. Due to the fact that the free agency market consists of Kyle Higashioka, Danny Jansen, and not much else, having d'Arnaud enter the fold is a huge win for Chicago. Even if the Cubs don't land d'Arnaud, they'll have a better shot at signing a worthwhile catcher, filling a major hole in the process.
For the Cubs to see a major improvement in 2025, a big offseason is needed. One of the spots that must be addressed is the catcher position. The Braves might've just let the best one available hit the open market for Jed Hoyer to swoop in.