Ranking the remaining top 10 - 6. Christian Vazquez
Another name we've heard been heavily connected to the Chicago Cubs is veteran catcher, Christian Vazquez. When speaking of the catching position, Jed Hoyer has gone on record stating that catching is a two-way position. To break that down further, he is essentially saying the Cubs are looking for a good hitter and good defender behind the plate all in one. Vazquez is currently 7th overall among active catchers when it comes to caught stealing percentage. He also sports a .261/.310/.386 career slash line, which is an improvement on both offense and defense compared to former Cubs catcher, Willson Contreras.
We know the Cubs desperately want to upgrade behind this plate this winter. Therefore, It's no surprise Vazquez is high on their list of targets. Per Bleacher Nation: "Defensively, Vázquez rates out *extremely* well, ranking 5th in Defensive Runs Saved (11), 13th in framing (4.9), and 9th in overall defensive rating among all catchers (14.4)." Working out a few contract details seems to be holding up the process a little. After missing on Bogaerts, the Cubs' pursuit of a shortstop is getting tight. They need to land what they can, and Vazquez is a solid piece to land on your roster.