Cubs connected to Rockies catcher Elias Diaz as a potential trade target

This was supposed to be the year Miguel Amaya ascended to the throne, if you will, emerging as a long-term solution behind the plate for the Chicago Cubs. Instead, he has put up a measly 55 wRC+ and, to make matters worse, veteran Yan Gomes has been even worse, with a 26 wRC+.

If they were thriving defensively perhaps it would be easier to look past their performance with the stick. But Amaya grades out well below average in pop time, caught stealing rate and framing and Gomes also rates as one of the worst pitch framers in all of baseball.

Cubs connected to Rockies catcher in a new trade deadline piece

With about two months until the MLB trade deadline, already fans are clamoring for Jed Hoyer to add an impact presence behind the dish. In his latest MLB trade rumors roundup at The Athletic (subscription required), a reader asked Jim Bowden how the Cubs might upgrade at catcher - and he singled out Colorado Rockies backstop Elias Dias as a perfect fit who won't break the bank.

Dias, who is among the game's best defensive catchers in 2024, earned the first All-Star nod of his career last season and is off to a blistering start offensively. The 33-year-old is slashing .311/.354/.450 - good for a 121 OPS+. Given he's in the final year of his three-year contract with the Rockies, Diaz would be a pure rental at the deadline and could help add some offense to the mix behind the plate.

Given his age and track record, it wouldn't take much to pry him away from Colorado. But the fact we're even having this conversation is indicative of a much larger concern: what the future looks like at the catcher position in Wrigleyville.

Amaya has a long way to go to prove he's up to the challenge and given Gomes turns 37 in July, he's not an answer, either, even if he were producing - which he's not. Even if Moises Ballesteros rockets through the organization this summer and has a strong spring in 2025, it's unlikely the Cubs will be ready to hand him the reins.

So, whether it's addressed with a short-term band-aid like Diaz or a larger move, this is now a position the Cubs must focus on sometime in the next eight months.