Cubs Rumors: Bringing back Carson Kelly may not be as far-fetched as it once seemed

As we closed the book on the 2026 Chicago Cubs, I went down the roster and made predictions on who will be back and who will have a new home next season. As disappointed as I was about it personally, I had catcher Carson Kelly hitting the open market and parlaying a weak catching market into a strong multi-year offer that lures him away from the North Side.

I still think there's a good chance Kelly plays elsewhere next year, but in the latest North Side Territory episode, Cubs beat writers Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney spoke at length about Kelly and it sure sounds like they think it's very feasible he's back in Chicago next season.

The full episode is worth a listen, but we're going to focus on Kelly for now. They made a ton of great points, including the rumors that the Cubs want to lean more heavily on Pedro Ramirez and Matt Shaw, which has a major effect on the bench mix. Removing Kelly from the equation just adds another question in the lineup, which could be the last thing Craig Counsell wants or needs.

Sure, Miguel Amaya is still here, but he's only cracked the 100-game mark once in his MLB career. You probably don't want to bet the catching position on his ability to handle the bulk of a big-league season. Even in the podcast, Sharma and Mooney admitted they had trouble seeing the Cubs head into the 2027 season with Amaya and top catching prospect Owen Ayers as its two backstops.

The free agent catching class makes a Carson Kelly exit very plausible

I'm not questioning that Kelly loved his time in Chicago or that he'd be open to returning on a new deal. But when you look around this free agent class at the other options out there, it leaves much to be desired. You can make the case that Kelly is the best catcher available on the market and I'd be shocked if he didn't land multi-year offers.

Chicago has to invest heavily on the pitching side of things and they might go with a glove-first depth option to slot in alongside Amaya, keeping Ayers warm at Iowa if needed. This rumored mutual interest in a reunion, though, gives me at least a little hope that we haven't seen the last of Carson Kelly in a Cubs uniform.

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