It's Becoming Clear Who The Cubs Will Try To Trade For At The Deadline

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Sooooooo, as much as I wanted Chris Gimenez up with the Cubs and thought he was the answer to Yu Darvish’s early-season troubles, the veteran catcher has turned out to be bad. Like, really bad at everything.

The Cubs called up Gimenez on May 26, and boy has he been underwhelming backing up Willson Contreras behind the plate. First, let’s take a look at his numbers at the plate.

Yeah, it is a small sample size, as Gimenez has only compiled 28 at bats, but he only has four hits, driving in one run and scoring only one run in 12 games. He’s 35-years-old, and as a catcher has never been fast, so he’s obviously not beating out any double play ground balls either. His attempts to put down sacrifice bunts have also been bad.

At the very least you’d think that his experience would help out the pitching staff. The results haven’t shown that either.

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So, for the second straight trade deadline it’s becoming clear that the Cubs will be in the market for a backup catcher. Sorry, Victor Caratini fans, he’s not the answer either to be Contreras’ backup.

Last year’s circumstances were different, as the Cubs moved on from Miguel Montero. The team acquired Alex Avila from the Detroit Tigers, the deal that also included Justin Wilson. Then, in August they also added Rene Rivera, claiming him off waivers from the New York Mets.

Avila and Rivera were both great in their roles and although Rivera is currently on the DL with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, he could potentially be a trade candidate when he returns. Rivera had surgery in late May to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Before the injury, Rivera had a .803 OPS in 22 games. Last year in his short stint with the Cubs, Rivera played in 20 games and had a .341/.408/.591 slash line.

Seeing how the backup catcher has produced this year for the Cubs, obviously it makes a lot of sense now that they should have re-signed him in the offseason despite the current injury. Rivera signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Angels.

So, Rivera is a guy to keep your eye on as he tries to get back from a knee surgery, but you can bet the Cubs are searching for options.

Hey, at least Gimenez doesn’t hide the fact he’s been bad.