Cubs could have a looming threat to steal most coveted trade target

Plenty of people are to blame for the Chicago Cubs entering Friday's action in last place in the NL Central, but Jed Hoyer should be at the top of the list. Yes, he got Craig Counsell and made a couple of strong moves over the offseason, but he didn't do nearly enough for a team that nearly missed out on a postseason berth last season.

This Cubs team is filled with holes. The biggest one is undoubtedly their bullpen, but their catching situation is not much better. Getting Tomas Nido to replace Yan Gomes helps a bit, but even then, Nido should be a backup with Miguel Amaya . Overall, Cubs catchers rank 29th in the majors in WRC+ and 29th in fWAR as well. That, obviously, is nowhere near good enough.

There aren't many known sellers at this point in time, but the Colorado Rockies are certainly one. Colorado happens to roster one of the more underrated catchers in the game, Elias Diaz. He seemed like a slam dunk Cubs trade target for a while, but another team might be lurking.

Guardians pose as clear threat to steal Cubs coveted trade target

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report drew up ten mock trades one month before the MLB Trade Deadline. One of the trades included Diaz, but it didn't involve the Cubs. It had Diaz being sent to the Cleveland Guardians. As much as Cubs fans won't want to hear this, that fit makes a lot of sense.

Cleveland's primary catcher, Bo Naylor, is slashing .199/.270/.327 with four home runs and 17 RBI this season. He's not Cubs-level bad, but he certainly has not been good. Their primary backup, Austin Hedges, remains an elite defensive catcher, but is as much of a liability as ever offensively.

A wild card in Cleveland is David Fry, who has emerged as a key contributor for the Guardians and does have 13 starts behind the dish this season, but it doesn't appear as if the Guardians want to make him a regular catcher. They'd benefit by adding an upgrade, and Diaz fits the bill.

Diaz is such an intriguing Cubs target for a couple of reasons. First, he's on an expiring contract, meaning Chicago wouldn't have to give too much up to get him. Second, he's been one of the best catchers in the National League for a couple of years now. He was an All-Star last season and has been even better in 2024, slashing .303/.352/.439 with five home runs and 28 RBI in 55 games.

While Diaz obviously benefits from playing half the time at Coors Field, he has a .759 OPS on the road this season. That's 182 points higher than Nido's OPS this season, 238 points higher than Amaya's, and 338 points higher than Gomes' for those keeping score. He'd be a substantial upgrade even if his production ticks down a bit from playing all the time away from altitude.

The Cubs need a guy like Diaz, but are far from the only team that needs more offensive help from their catchers. The Guardians are safely entrenched in a postseason spot as of now while the Cubs languish in last place in the NL Central. If that remains the case, the Cubs could very well see Cleveland steal a target who seemed like such a good fit in the Windy City.