Here's why the Alejandro Kirk contract extension is one Cubs fans need to remember

Nobody seems worried whether or not Chicago Cubs catching prospect Moises Ballesteros is going to hit when he eventually reaches the big leagues. Whether he sticks behind the plate will come down to his ability to show noted improvements defensively - and that's going to be a big story to keep an eye on this year at Triple-A Iowa.

Another young catcher who once came with defensive concerns? Toronto Blue Jays backstop Alejandro Kirk who, heading into his age-26 season, just signed a five-year, $58 million extension with the team.

Kirk has put in the work defensively - and the metrics tell a glowing story about the results. He ranks near the top of the league in caught-stealing rate and framing, a dramatic shift from earlier in his career. Given the long-term uncertainty at the position in Chicago with Miguel Amaya's uneven production at the big-league level, Ballesteros following the path of Kirk would be a dream scenario.

In 2022, Kirk looked like he was about to break out as an elite all-around catcher, earning his first All-Star selection and Silver Slugger with a 4.0 bWAR campaign. The offensive production has tailed off over the last two seasons, with a 92 and 94 OPS+, respectively, in 2023 and 2024, but he's still been roughly a 2.0 bWAR player for the Blue Jays.

Given Ballesteros hasn't even made his MLB debut yet and doesn't turn 22 until November, it's way too soon to start seriously hypothesizing what a Ballesteros extension could or would look like. But if he continues to improve defensively and the bat keeps up, a deal like this could end up being the floor down the road - because his bat comes with a much higher ceiling than Kirk's.

After lighting up pitching in the Arizona Fall League last year, he swung a big bat this spring, posting an OPS north of 1.000 in Cactus League action. If he turns in that same level of production at the plate this year at Iowa, we'll be talking about how he fits into the roster mix this time next year - if not before.