One underrated veteran the Cubs can't afford to non-tender this offseason

The Chicago Cubs have a lot of difficult decisions to make this offseason. Be it Shota Imanaga's complicated set of options or Kyle Tucker's impending free agency, the team needs to act fast to determine which players will be back with the franchise next year.

One choice that isn't quite so glamorous is Reese McGuire's upcoming trip through arbitration. It's his final one before reaching free agency, and yet MLB Trade Rumors pegs his projected salary at just $1.9 million. For a quality backup backstop, that's hardly going to break the bank.

And a good backup catcher is exactly what McGuire proved himself to be in 2025. The 30-year-old hit .226/.245/.444 in 140 plate appearances this season, good for an 86 wRC+ that, while below average, more than gets the job done for a No. 2 catcher.

He even had some torrid stretches at the plate at times, and combined with his solid defense behind the plate, McGuire is absolutely someone the Cubs should want back in 2026.

The trouble is that Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya are locks to come back next year, potentially leaving McGuire without a home in Chicago. Can the Cubs really justify holding onto three catchers?

Reese McGuire's future with Cubs may depend on Miguel Amaya's development

Kelly and Amaya's presence creates a catch-22 for the Cubs; when healthy, they are the unquestioned starters at catcher with no need for a third-stringer.

However, Amaya was almost never healthy this year, and prior to his maiden season with the Cubs, Kelly was on a streak of three straight seasons with a wRC+ below 100. It'd be nice to have a consistent backup, especially one with McGuire's defensive metrics (80th percentile framing, 68th percentile pop time).

The obvious best-case scenario here is that the Cubs non-tender McGuire and are able to re-sign him to a minor league deal, thereby keeping him in the organization without having to use a 40-man (or 26-man) roster spot on him unless absolutely necessary.

However, that almost certainly won't happen. McGuire's production in 2025 should make him a lock for a major league deal in free agency, meaning the Cubs would have to tender him a contract via arbitration (or extension) to keep him around.

So, can the Cubs justify using two of their four bench spots on catchers, especially when none of them are better than average at the plate (100 wRC+) in their careers? More than McGuire, the answer to that question may come down to the franchise's belief in Amaya, as the 26-year-old had a career-high 124 wRC+ in 103 plate appearances in 2025. If his bat continues to escalate, he could play at designated hitter more often while McGuire and Kelly share a heavier bulk of the catching duties.

Regardless, losing McGuire feels untenable, especially given the state of the catcher market this winter. It could require some creative solutions (Kelly played one inning at third base in 2019, FWIW), but keeping the backstop band together would be an achievement for the front office.