Chicago Cubs: Kurt Suzuki could represent a solid backup option

2 of 4

It’s a fairly widespread belief that the Chicago Cubs are more than set behind the dish in Willson Contreras. That being said, this team could use a quality backup.

There are few backstops in the game today that truly qualify as a head-turner. That being said, the Chicago Cubs are lucky enough to have a catcher who ranks in the upper echelon of Major League talent in Willson Contreras. However, Contreras alone is not enough.

The club finds itself in an awkward position moving into next season. While Contreras is clearly the guy for Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon, the likelihood that former top catching prospect Victor Caratini remains with the team long-term is, unfortunately, shrinking by the day.

It is, therefore, necessary to understand the importance for the Cubs to find a backup option to Contreras this offseason if they do make the difficult decision to move on from Caratini. Enter Kurt Suzuki.

Chicago Cubs: An ageless wonder

Kurt Suzuki has never been flashy. In fact, he’s the polar opposite of the term. When you think of Suzuki, one word comes to mind: consistent. For Cubs’ fans comparison, Suzuki carries a kind of David Ross aura in the game of baseball, which is hardly a bad thing.

Suzuki has been in Major League Baseball for 12 years. In that span, he has played for four separate teams. During that time, Suzuki has been an incredibly consistent performer wherever he played. For instance, in his career, only once has Suzuki produced a negative WAR.

More from Cubbies Crib

The previous two seasons for Suzuki, his age 33 and 34 seasons, he has been nothing short of impressive for a catcher who is seemingly in the final leg of his career. In 2017, Suzuki hit 19 home runs, drove in 50 runs and posted a fantastic .372 wOBA and 127 wRC+. He finished with a 2.6 WAR. Last season, Suzuki finished along a similar plane, finishing with 12 home runs, 50 runs batted in and a still above-average .335 wOBA and 108 wRC+. Surprisingly, Suzuki kept the production up, with another great WAR season of 2.0.

He also increased his overall Z-Contact% from 91.2 to 92.3 percent. While this is not a significant increase regarding pitches he made contact with, seeing a boost last season is indeed a positive thing regarding his ability to continue to produce moving forward.

Regarding his defense, Suzuki has never been the strongest fielding catcher. Outside of his first three seasons in the league, his numbers have been down. Over the past three seasons, Suzuki is averaging 12.3 runners caught stealing, while allowing an average of 48 successful stolen base opportunities. That being said, the Cubs do not need Suzuki to be anything more than what he is.

Chicago Cubs: Much-needed depth

Last season, Willson Contreras caught a ridiculous 1,109 2/3 innings. It was an easy career-high for Contreras, up from the previous season’s 821 1/3 innings. As discussed by our own Jake Misener, much of Contreras’ downturn was seemingly due to exhaustion. Contreras hit just .200 in the second half of the season.

Caratini did his best to fill in as the backup to Contreras, catching 290 2/3 innings. However, he turned in a lackluster defensive season while slashing a measly .232/.293/.304 with just two home runs and 21 RBI in 200 plate appearances. Caratini finished with a .268 wOBA and horrendous 65 wRC+. It is the reason why the Cubs could move on from Caratini heading into 2019.

In 2017, Kurt Suzuki started 71 games. On the other side of the coin Contreras, who had a career-year during that season, caught 91 games. Based on those numbers of games started, the Cubs bringing in Suzuki would allow Contreras the much-needed rest throughout the season while allowing him to continue to produce at an elite level for a catcher. Suzuki started 83 games last season, which, again, would allow Contreras to get even more time to recover next season between starts if the Cubs pull the trigger on Suzuki in the offseason.

Chicago Cubs: Examining other free agent options

Outside of the outfield positions, catcher is the most depth-friendly skill position for free-agency heading into the 2019 campaign. It bodes well for the Cubs in the opportunity to acquire a low-cost backup option.

Yasmani Grandal leads the pack outright. However, he will easily command the most money on the open market. This season, Grandal played on a one-year, $7.9 million contract. At just 29 years old, he will undoubtedly garner significant interest from teams willing to shell out starter-level money.

Wilson Ramos is the second-best available free-agent catcher. However his contract with Tampa Bay this season paid him $10.5 million. Ramos is four years younger than Suzuki, however, produced just 0.4 more WAR than the vet, and was $7 million more expensive.

Next. Would midseason Machado deal have changed things?. dark

The remaining free agent catchers are not worth the Cubs time if we’re honest. It leaves Kurt Suzuki as the best possible option for the Cubs, as he cost just $3.5 million last season for the Atlanta Braves and will give the Cubs a solid chance to bring him on board for cheap. Theo and company should pull the trigger on Kurt Suzuki.

Home / Chicago Cubs News