How the Cubs split the load between Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly yet to be decided

Twelve months ago, Miguel Amaya was in a position to seize the starting catcher's job and establish himself as the long-term answer behind the plate for the Chicago Cubs. By late May, he was a legitimate non-tender candidate, batting just .176 and looking ciompletely lost at the plate.

A second-half turnaround saved his job - and, potentially, his future with the organization. His OPS after the All-Star break represented a more than 200-point improvement over his first-half performance, closing out the year on a high note after making a quick in-season mechanical adjustment.

Despite that rebound, it was no secret that Jed Hoyer and the Cubs were going to add catching depth this winter. They found that depth in veteran Carson Kelly, who is coming off a strong 2024 split between Detroit and Texas, signing him to a two-year, $11.5 million deal with a mutual option for 2027.

So who has the upper hand on the depth chart? Well, that's yet to be decided, with Craig Counsell appreciating what both guys bring to the plate and taking a wait-and-see approach. How they perform (as well as daily matchups) will ultimately determine how the workload will be handled between the two backstops.

“We felt like we wanted to create just a strong catching duo,” Counsell told the Sun-Times. “And both guys we feel like are capable of handling the bigger share, if we have to. And then if one guy grabs it, then we’re fine with it.”

Defensively, Amaya graded out well in terms of blocking last year, but left much to be desired in framing and controlling the run game. Meanwhile, Kelly graded out above-average in blocking, caught-stealing percentage and framing. Both will have to produce at the plate, too, because a major issue early last year for the Cubs was a black hole at the bottom of the lineup between Amaya, Yan Gomes, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson.

That's not to say they need All-Star-caliber production from Kelly and Amaya, but they can't be a complete offensive liability in the same way the catcher position was for much of the year in 2024. Counsell will continue to assess the duo in the coming weeks, including during the team's two-game trip to Japan in mid-March, but it's very much a fluid situation.

Whoever produces is going to play. It seems like it's really going to be that simple.