Chicago Cubs Reportedly Tried to Land Slugging Catcher at Trade Deadline

With a clear need at catcher, the Chicago Cubs reportedly tried to be aggressive at this year's trade deadline to land one.

Sep 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe (14) during batting practice before the game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs went into the 2024 season ready to make some changes to their catcher position.

Yan Gomes had been the primary starter the year prior, but with his age increasing and his offensive production leaving much to be desired, the Cubs decided to turn things over to Miguel Amaya with the veteran backing him up.

The former top prospect had finally made his debut in 2023, showcasing a bit of what he could do that made the organization ready to see what his production might look like on a full-time basis.

Unfortunately, things did not work out the way anyone expected.

Chicago had the worst offensive production from the catcher position at one point in the season, prompting them to ultimately move on from Gomes and bring in multiple options behind Amaya who could hopefully provide run support.

That largely didn't occur either.

Knowing that, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer reportedly tried to make a deal at the trade deadline that would have brought in slugging catcher Logan O'Hoppe according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.

That's an interesting note because it's not known what the roles for each catcher would have been.

Would O'Hoppe be the backup that's relied upon in pinch-hit situations and off days for Amaya, or would he have come in to be the No. 1 guy on this roster?

It's not clear since nothing was worked out.

Eyeing someone like O'Hoppe is also interesting because he's under club control through 2028.

The Cubs have one of their current top prospects, Moises Ballesteros, shining in the minor leagues that prompted him to get promoted to Triple-A this season where he continued to impress despite the multi-year age gap.

Maybe they don't have the rising star in their plans for at least a few seasons despite him performing well at every stop throughout his career so far.

Since a deal for O'Hoppe didn't come to fruition, Amaya is still the guy on this team for now, but how long it remains that way will be seen.