Cubs Reportedly Close to Terms with Catcher Carson Kelly

The Chicago Cubs need another catcher. The lack of depth behind Miguel Amaya, who is also still coming into his own as a top backstop, was alarming and the Cubs were surely going to get involved with players in free agency. 

Lo and behold, that is the case. According to reports from Jon Heyman on Monday afternoon, the Cubs and catcher Carson Kelly were close on talks. It appears something should become official soon. 

Kelly spent the 2024 season split between the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers. The former St. Louis Cardinals second-round pick had a strong start with the Tigers, posting a .716 OPS over 60 games. However, Kelly's numbers took a dip upon arriving in Texas, posting a .634 OPS over 31 games. 

Kelly has 556 games of big-league experience, having spent most of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kelly's career OPS and OPS+ are below average numbers, but the backstop has found offensive success at times over his career. As noted, most of his best seasons came during his time in the desert. 

Not only is the 30-year-old catcher a nice pairing with Amaya for likely reasonable dollars, but Kelly was also born in Chicago, IL. Kelly was drafted out of high school in Oregon but has Chicago roots, giving the signing an extra sense of connection for the fans. 

The signing might not move the needle, but Kelly's defensive prowess makes him the ideal player to pair with Amaya. Kelly is above average in his framing, blocks above average, and runners caught stealing according to Baseball Savant. In addition, his fielding run value of "4" is in the 76th percentile in the league. 

The Cubs desperately needed a good defender behind the dish and this move certainly addresses that.