Quiet Cubs minor league signing could be a precursor to possible Owen Ayers promotion

The Chicago Cubs have gotten solid production from the tandem of Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly all season long. The two have combined for 2.7 bWAR, while guiding an injury-plagued pitching staff through the ups and downs of a 162-game grind. There's no glaring weakness behind the plate at the big-league level.

So when I saw the Cubs signed 35-year-old veteran catcher Austin Wynns to a minor-league deal on Tuesday, my first thought wasn't that he's ticketed to be a third backstop on the team when rosters expand Sept. 1. Instead, it was that the odds we see top prospect Owen Ayers in Chicago next month just increased.

Yes, it's nice to have an added layer behind Kelly and Amaya should something happen to either during the season's final month. But with rumors already swirling that the Cubs would like to give Ayers a taste of the big-league life, it's hard not to think this opens the door a little wider to that possibility.

Owen Ayers is a name to watch as a potential September call-up

Since getting promoted to Triple-A, Ayers is yet to discover his power stroke, but is still putting up a respectable .269/.387/.365 line in 124 plate appearances. He's walked almost as much as he's struck out, always a promising sign once guys get to the highest level of the system. Evaluators continue to keep an eye on him defensively, but he's repeatedly shown off a well above-average arm throwing out would-be base stealers.

Iowa needed catching help regardless. Both Ethan Hearn and Dylan Campos are both currently on the development list, which left Ayers as the only catcher on the roster. The addition of Wynns addresses that concern, while also adding important depth from an organizational level.

Wynns has appeared in MLB action for three teams already this year (ATH, ATL, TEX) and brings nearly a decade of experience to the Cubs. At the plate, he's a near-non-factor but has graded out as a decent defensive catcher in his career. He's also eligible for any potential Cubs postseason roster, another important consideration with the season winding down.

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