Cubs: This latest Willson Contreras trade proposal is a hard pass

In need of a catcher, does Patrick Bailey make sense for the Cubs?

Let’s start with Bailey. I have no qualms with him as a prospect, however things haven’t quite gone his way starting off. He currently is ranked as the Giants’ number five prospect per Baseball America. The big thing that Bailey has at his advantage in any possible trade is his age. He is still just 23 years old and that may be a factor in the struggles early on in his career.

Bailey was selected 13th overall in 2020 by the Giants and had himself a resoundingly impressive season in Single-A, slashing .322/.415/.531 over 47 games. Midway through last season the Giants promoted him to High-A where he struggled to maintain consistency and hit just .185 with a .296 slugging percentage.

Instead of moving him back to Single-A this year, Bailey remained at High-A and the struggles have remained, as well. There have been some positives as the numbers progressed and his strikeout rate dropped but currently through 39 games, Bailey has posted only a 99 wRC+.

His ability to be patient is strong as evidence of his 13.5 percent walk rate, however there just is not enough there to warrant any consideration as an option for the Cubs moving forward.