New Chicago Cubs Trade Idea Brings In Minnesota Twins Elite Defensive Catcher

The Chicago Cubs could send away a prospect to bring in a defensive option behind the plate.

Sep 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins catcher Christian Vazquez (8) looks back to the umpire in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs still don't have many options behind the plate for next year in terms of offense, so they might as well opt for someone who is a good defender.

While the market for catchers is not going to be intense this offseason, there are still some intriguing players who could be on the move.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com noted Minnesota Twins catcher Christian Vasquez as one of the top catchers expected to be dealt.

"The Twins are expected to trim payroll this offseason. With Ryan Jeffers under club contractual control for two more years, dealing Vazquez and his $10 million salary wouldn’t be a surprise. The 34-year-old has been unable to repeat his breakout 2019 season at the plate, but he remains a solid defender who can handle a pitching staff," said Feinsand.

Given his age, contract and lack of real offensive value, it shouldn't take much for the Cubs to bring him in.

If they are willing to eat his contract, they could possibly get away with trading away a single prospect, or they could also do a player swap and potentially bring a prospect in.

Going with the assumption that Chicago wants to compete, which they should given the current makeup of the team, the former would likely be the better option.

A potential deal could see the Cubs send infield prospect Pedro Ramirez to the Twins in exchange for the catcher.

While Vazquez didn't have a great year by pretty much any metric, he at least closed things out OK at the plate when in the second half of the season he posted a .261/.295/.374 slash line.

If he could keep up that pace, it would be an improvement over the mess of a season Chicago's catchers had last year.

The unit, which spanned a few different players, combined for just a .215/.258/.343 slash line, making that position a black hole for much of the year.

To make matters worse, they were subpar defensively as well.

That's why Vazquez makes sense as a trade target. If the team is going to be bad at the plate anyway, they might as well opt for a good defender.

At worst, he would be a solid person to pair with the younger Miguel Amaya, who at least showed some signs of life last season.