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I’ve accepted some time ago that the Cubs aren’t going to sign Bryce Harper. Fine, but the team has no excuse not to upgrade another position when it’s become pretty obvious that it won’t make a dent in Tom Ricketts’ wallet.
Yup, I’m talking about the backup catcher spot again.
You may not think it’s important at all, but we just saw Willson Contreras start the most games at catcher in 2018, and his performance took a sharp decline in the second half of the season. One of the reasons Contreras wasn’t given more rest is because Victor Caratini just hasn’t been good enough to deserve more opportunities to play. When you’re not considered a defensive specialist as the backup, then you better hit and Caratini simply hasn’t done that.
But the Cubs are a few days away from their first spring training game and it seems like the game plan is to stick with Caratini. Why is this frustrating as a Cubs fan? Well, Martin Maldonado, a superb defensive catcher is STILL available as a free agent and he’s basically begging for any team to sign him.
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In this story, @RyanDivish writes that Martin Maldonado is "holding out hope for the protection of a full major-league guarantee."
That's one of the 3-5 best defensive catchers in MLB with basically no interest. Ridiculous.https://t.co/hP5XwclLLq pic.twitter.com/gkJMWdE9sC
— Steve Adams (@Adams_Steve) February 21, 2019
C’mon, Theo! Is Maldonado going to cost that much money that you can’t offer him a deal and immediately upgrade the Cubs roster?
Again, you might think the backup catcher doesn’t matter and although it isn’t the top priority for any team, it can still help your team be better. It’s not just about Maldonado being a great defensive catcher, a big upgrade to Caratini, but having him would certainly give Joe Maddon more confidence to go with the veteran, meaning more rest for Contreras.
A fresher Contreras should lead to better production from him as well.
Maldonado, 32, has a career slash line of .220/.289/.350. Obviously you’re not counting on him to be a huge threat offensively, but it’s not like he’s the worst hitting catcher either. He’s below average, but you take that because he gives you value with his defense.
Who knows, maybe the Cubs are trying to sign him, but Scott Boras is holding out for more money. Still, a one-year deal for Maldonado won’t be much and no matter what Tom Ricketts says, the Cubs should easily be able to afford it.
