Potential Chicago Cubs Catching Target Inks Deal With Los Angeles Angels

One ideal Chicago Cubs free agent target is now off the board after signing a deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

Aug 24, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud (16) during a pitching change against the Washington Nationals in the sixth inning at Truist Park / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

One of the things that has been known regarding what the Chicago Cubs are going to do this offseason is try to upgrade their catcher position.

Miguel Amaya couldn't quite break through like expected when he was handed the full-time starting job ahead of this past season, and with only aging veteran Yan Gomes on the roster to back him up, they had one of the worst producing units in the league.

That forced the Cubs to ultimately move on from Gomes, bringing in Tomas Nido before his injury that then resulted in Christian Bethancourt being added.

But despite Bethancourt performing well down the stretch, he opted to hit free agency and see if there was a path to more playing time elsewhere, leaving Chicago pretty bare at catcher unless they want to roll the dice on promoting star prospect Moises Ballesteros.

All signs point to them not wanting to do that this winter, so with them looking for established offensive upgrades on the open market, one player who was floated as an ideal option for them was free agent Travis d'Arnaud.

The past World Series champion and one-time Silver Slugger is coming off a season where he slashed .238/.302/.436 with 15 homers, 31 extra-base hits, 48 RBI and an OPS+ of 103 across his 99 games.

Unfortunately, he is no longer available.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, d'Arnaud has inked a two-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

That is tough news for Chicago.

He would have been a perfect backup to Amaya, providing some veteran leadership that would have gone a long way in helping the former top prospect during the early stages of his career, while also bringing an element of offense that is desperately needed.

But, they were beaten to the punch again.

That was largely the storyline last winter as the Cubs were one of the last teams to make a substantial move.

Hopefully this isn't a sign of what's to come.