Chicago Cubs Rumors: Catching market gaining momentum

Lost in the shuffle of the Chicago Cubs pursuing free-agent shortstops Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson is the fact that the Cubs have several other needs including at the catcher position. The Cubs have been linked frequently to free-agent catcher Christian Vazquez but last week at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, the team was beginning to be linked to Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy.

It appears that there is movement on both fronts as Ken Rosenthal reported in his latest "What I'm Hearing" installment for The Athletic that the markets for both Vazquez and Murphy are gaining momentum.

• Teams are making a renewed push in trade discussions for A’s catcher Sean Murphy, and the negotiations for free-agent catcher Christian Vázquez also appear to be gaining momentum. The clubs on Vázquez include the Twins, Padres, Cubs and Astros (the Padres’ pursuit perhaps intensified after they signed Vázquez’s former Red Sox teammate, Xander Bogaerts). Murphy obviously would be a fit for those teams as well. The Rays and Guardians also have shown interest in Murphy, who is under club control for three more seasons.

With uncertainty surrounding the health and durability of catching prospect Miguel Amaya, the team has a long-term question mark at the catching position. Murphy would certainly be that solution for the Cubs. Murphy represents the closest to Contreras in offensive production that the Cubs would be able to have at the catching position while also serving as a defensive upgrade from the now St. Louis Cardinals' catcher. In terms of a trade match with the Athletics, it may be a tall ask for the Cubs as Oakland is believed to be seeking Major League-ready talent in exchange for Murphy.

Vazquez, who caught a no-hitter for the Houston Astros against the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, certainly fits the profile that the Cubs prefer at the catching position in terms of one's ability to manage a pitching staff.