Chicago Cubs: Missing out on Rene Rivera hints at team’s backup catcher plans

We finally got a hint about the Chicago Cubs backup catcher plans for next season when René Rivera signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

If the Cubs were going to go the route of signing a free agent, say a defense-first, veteran catcher, Rivera was arguably the best option. He’s a good pitch framer and has a strong arm. He also played for the Cubs at the end of last season, so he’s already at least a little bit familiar with the organization and the pitching staff. He even hit well as a member of the Cubs with a slash-line of .341/.408/.591 in 50 plate appearances despite being a career .220/.271/.349 hitter.

A sign of things to come?

However, what is most telling about Rivera signing with the Angels is his one-year, $2.8 million contract. The Cubs might have been hoping to sign him for slightly less, but a one-year contract at only $2.8 million would have been a great low-commitment, low-cost deal for Chicago.

By comparison, David Ross‘s contract with the Cubs was $5 million over two years, for a $2.5 million AAV. Factor in a few years for player salaries to rise and maybe even give Rivera a little bit more for being four years younger than Ross was and the contracts are very comparable.

So either Rivera wasn’t the Cubs’ first choice, they tried to get him and missed, or he preferred to sign with the Angels. Maybe he wants to catch Shohei Ohtani?

Is another familiar face a fit in Chicago?

Since the Cubs have a young, still-improving core of players and an opening at backup catcher, a veteran could make sense. Add in the fact they’re the only team in baseball to go to the League Championship Series the last three seasons, and they get even more attractive.

Earlier this winter, Alex Avila spoke to MLB Network Radio, telling them he prioritizing winning over his role. If this indeed is the case, Chicago may be the perfect fit. One question, however, remains. Money.

All about the money

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If Avila ends up signing to be a backup catcher next year, he will get paid more than the typical backup. But if a playoff team signs him to be their backup catcher, that team is going to want to pay Avila less than a starter. How much less is Avila willing to take to be the Cubs’ backup catcher?

If he is willing to accept a reasonable salary to be the Cubs’ backup, he could be a weapon for Joe Maddon. Usually, when a team has a backup catcher with a great bat, managers are reluctant to use him as a pinch-hitter.

They don’t want to burn a catcher in case the starting catcher gets injured. That has not been a problem for the Cubs in the past and shouldn’t be a problem this season.

Are Cubs carrying three catchers again?

Quite often, Maddon carried three catchers on the roster. It started with Maddon’s first Opening Day roster when he had Miguel Montero, David Ross and Welington Castillo. For a significant stretch of 2016, Chicago added Tim Federowicz on the roster. At one point last season, the Cubs had six catchers on the active roster (Willson Conteras, Avila, Rivera, Víctor Caratini, Taylor Davis and Kyle Schwarber).

But even when the Cubs don’t have three primary catchers on the roster, Schwarber’s defensive versatility leaves Maddon with the possibility of using him as a catcher. No, this isn’t a likely scenario. But if the starter gets injured after a backup catcher has been used as a pinch hitter? Maybe.

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Is there another playoff team willing to pay Avila more to be their backup catcher?

Keep an eye on the East

The same tweet has been used to wonder if the Yankees should target Avila? It would give Gary Sanchez some more opportunities to rest while staying in the lineup at DH.

The Nationals are another playoff team that may be considering bringing in Avila to be their backup. Remember. Former Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez now heads up that ball club.

Washington’s situation may turn into one where Avila is initially brought in as the backup, but he could outperform Matt Wieters both defensively and offensively and become the starter.

The Avila could be an upgrade for other potential playoff teams such as the Diamondbacks and Rockies. Their playoff chances involve not only competing against each other but also the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. So the playoffs are far from assured for any National League West team.

Adding a new name to the mix

There are certainly plenty other free agent catchers available. However, Rivera was the closest thing to David Ross that was available this offseason. Since the Cubs didn’t get Rivera, I doubt they end up with any of the catchers listed on this page. That is, unless they did want Rivera, but were unable to finalize a deal.

But back to those other options.

Ever since the Milwaukee Brewers traded Jonathan Lucroy, he hasn’t been the same. It seems that Lucroy’s skills have fallen off a cliff. It’s also possible that he could return to form and be an All-Star again.

Lucroy’s recent past is the reason he remains an intriguing target. Its also the reason he may end up with a starting job and not a backup role.

Too veteran?

If the Cubs are looking for a catcher to provide a veteran presence, they don’t get more veteran than Carlos Ruiz. But is he too ‘veteran’? Ruiz is 38 years old. He’s five years removed from receiving down-ballot MVP votes. Last year, he hit just .216/.313/.352. He might not have another good season in him.

You might think that Clayton Kershaw‘s former personal catcher A.J. Ellis is a great pitch framer, but he’s not. His R.A.A. (Runs Above Average) last season was -10.4. One of the things that helped the Cubs in 2016 was pitch framing. Montero (16.1) and Ross (8.7) were two of the best pitch framers in baseball that year. Even Conteras had a positive R.A.A. of 3.3 in 2016. If the Cubs sign a veteran catcher who isn’t a good hitter, then pitch framing is one of the things they will emphasize.

Young guns chomping at the bit

The Cubs have a lot of interesting possibilities in Victor Caratini. The idea of having a young, inexpensive, switch-hitting catcher who can also play both corner infield positions is tempting.

In this scenario, Schwarber’s presence on the active roster once again makes it easier to use the backup catcher’s bat (in this case Caratini) as a pinch hitter.

Or another team could value him highly enough that the Cubs might include him in a trade. A year ago, Caratini wasn’t even listed as one of the top 10 catching prospects by MLB Pipeline. So as fans we probably project his trade value higher than most clubs. But he could be included as part of a package deal.

Or the Cubs might prefer to have Caratini start the season in Triple-A. If Chicago needs a DL replacement, he may be one of the first to get his name called in 2018.

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A social media star – and solid backstop

As a catcher at Iowa who got called up to the majors last season for a cup of coffee, Taylor Davis could see Chicago again this year.  But I believe that the Cubs envision Davis as depth at the catching position. Think similar to the role Federowicz served in during the 2016 season.

If they thought highly of Davis and that he was ready for the Major Leagues, they would have called him up sooner. Instead, they dealt for Avila and Rivera last season when Contreras was injured.

Instead, he will start the season as the third catcher in the organization if Caratini is either traded or the Major League backup. If both Davis and Caratini end up in Iowa at the start of the season it will truly be a luxury to have two catchers at the Triple-A level that could be called up if needed.

Another catching prospect

Ian Rice is another catching prospect in the Cubs minor league system. Last year he finished his season at Double-A Tennessee. He may soon get promoted to Iowa and could potentially make his Major League debut later this season.

He isn’t a threat to earn the backup catcher job out of spring training. But the Cubs organization may soon have the good problem of having too many catching prospects at the Triple-A level. Or did his presence create upward pressure to at least begin the season by giving a young catcher a chance to hold down the backup job in the Major Leagues?

What’s next?

If the Cubs had catchers such as Caratini and Davis in 2014 they would have been fighting for a chance to be the everyday catcher. Instead, it is an embarrassment of riches for the Cubs to have so many good young catchers. And that two of them may begin the season in Iowa, another in Tennessee. Plus, Contreras was a prospect not so long ago, as well.