Chicago Cubs: Backup catcher options on the free agent market

Cubs could look to Robinson Chirinos for a veteran presence

Robinson Chirinos has nine years of MLB experience behind the dish. Chirinos, 36, has spent most of his career with the Texas Rangers and spent last year with the Rangers and New York Mets. He has also played with the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays. Between the Rangers and Mets, Chirinos played in 26 games and hit .162/.232/.243 with one home run and seven RBI.

Chirinos has played in 602 games and caught in 572 of them. He is a career .231/.325/.431 hitter with 86 home runs, .755 OPS and 99 OPS+. For a guy who is not an All-Star-caliber backstop, he has pretty solid pop in his bat. In five seasons he has hit double-digit home runs and an overall 102 wRC+.

A downside to him is that his defense is not overly great. He will make his errors but he can at least be relied on to play the position. Overall his value is likely somewhere around $1.2 – $1.5 million so he should be (hopefully) available.

He has played 100+ games before so he is not one that would come in and have noticeable limits, though he is older now. Chirinos would provide a catcher who has plenty of experience and can somewhat contribute with the bat.