Jed finally did it! You wanted an MLB move, well here it is! Let’s all welcome catcher Brian Serven to the squad!
Never heard of him? Can’t blame you. This isn’t a joke either, adding Serven to the 40-man roster is the first MLB level transaction of this offseason for the Cubs. Woo-fucking-hoo. The Cubs nabbed the backup catcher off waivers from the Colorado Rockies on Friday.
Taking a look at his numbers you have to assume that Serven must be a stud defensively because during his MLB time with the Rockies, the right-handed hitter has had a miserable go at it.
Serven made his MLB debut in 2022, appearing in 62 games with Colorado. In 205 plate appearances, Serven had a slash line of .203/.261/.332, while slugging six home runs that only resulted in a 52 wRC+. In 2023, Serven had injury-plagued season, playing a total of 11 games with the Rockies and 38 games at Triple-A.
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Overall, in his first two stints in the majors, Serven slashed .195/.248/.314, in 228 plate appearances. Looking at his numbers behind the plate, Serven was good at neutralizing the running game, throwing out 5 of 12 attempted base stealers.
Serven is now the third catcher on the Cubs 40-man roster, joining the two guys who will begin the regular season as the catching duo on the MLB roster in veteran Yan Gomes and second-year catcher Miguel Amaya. Earlier in the offseason, the Cubs also signed Jorge Alfaro to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. The Cubs also signed another catcher to a minor league deal in Joe Hudson.
So, the Cubs are certainly tightening up their catcher depth heading into spring training and will have some competition for their backup roles in the organization. These signings in the offseason are designed to make sure the team has bodies through spring training and have guys with experience at Triple-A when the season starts.
I think what they are doing is making sure they have seasoned catchers for their farmhand rookies to throw to during Spring Training. Each has a different strength and it will help those young pitchers work through their routines with experienced eyes. They won’t have to rely on minor league catchers as much. That’s how I see the acquisition of so many backstops.
And the price seems to be cheap as well. It’s not like they’re spending FA money on them.
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So, the Cubs are certainly tightening up their catcher depth heading into spring training and will have some competition for their backup roles in the organization. These signings in the offseason are designed to make sure the team has bodies through spring training and have guys with experience at Triple-A when the season starts.