Cubs could be forced to overpay in free agency to address the catcher position

As is the case almost every year, this winter's free agent class features a number of familiar backstops. But if you're a team like the Chicago Cubs and you desperately need impact talent at the position, legitimate answers in free agency this offseason are few and far between.

After experiencing the downside of giving catchers in their mid-30s multi-year deals with Yan Gomes' precipitous decline in 2024, odds are Chicago will look to avoid repeating that mistake this winter. That takes a number of household names who are in that age range off the board: James McCann, Travis d'Arnaud (if the Braves don't pick up his option), Kyle Higashioka, Jacob Stallings, Curt Casali, and Sandy Leon, to name a few.

We learned this weekend that the Cubs pursued Angels backstop Logan O'Hoppe, but came up short in their efforts - and The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma (subscription required) believes a Michael Busch-style trade could be a path to finding a legitimate long-term answer, but acknowledged it comes with a lot of question marks and competition given how rare impact catchers are in today's game.

There aren't a lot of clear-cut winners in the free agent class this year

So if that doesn't pan out and Hoyer is forced to play ball in free agency, it could lead to him getting uncomfortable in a hurry. Names like Carson Kelly, Danny Jansen and Elias Diaz could make sense - because at this point, the Cubs view Miguel Amaya as a backup. Should he prove them wrong, great, but after the complete lack of production the team has received from the position this year, they can't bet on him again in 2025.

But similar to the competition for potential catching prospects on the trade market, that same competition will exist here for these guys' services. Just how far will Hoyer extend himself to shore up the position? We could soon find out because it's the team's top priority with only months until the hot stove heats up.