3 players the Chicago Cubs need to get rid of before the All-Star Break

The Major League Baseball All-Star game is on July 11 and by that time, there should be a clear direction that the Chicago Cubs will be headed in for the remainder of the 2023 regular season.

Entering play on Friday, the Cubs have a record of 24-31 but remain only 4.5 games out of first place in the National League Central division. Given the weak division that the Cubs are in, chances are the team will never truly be out of contention.

Though, that won't change the fact that the Cubs' roster will undergo changes over the course of the next two months.

3 players the Chicago Cubs need to get rid of before the All-Star Break - Tucker Barnhart

The case of Tucker Barnhart remains a curious one for the Cubs. Barnhart's offensive profile showed regression last season with the Detroit Tigers and his defensive metrics would suggest that he is not the Gold Glove catcher that he once was with the Cincinnati Reds. Still, the Cubs identified Barnhart as the perfect compliment to veteran catcher Yan Gomes in assisting his work with the pitching staff.

Defensively, Barnhart has reverted back to his Gold Glove as his defensive fWAR on the season is 3.7. The issue is that Barnhart's offense has been littered with non-competitive at-bats. Through 71 plate appearances this season, Barnhart is slashing .164/.268/.180 with a 33 wRC+.

For the Cubs, there would be value in having catching prospect Miguel Amaya with the Major League team for the duration of the second half. Amaya is expected to be the team's starting catcher in 2024 and could benefit from having an extended stint in the Majors prior to then.