So far this week the Chicago Cubs have been busy with making moves on the Trade Market.
As the off season slowly gets underway with some signings here and there, the Chicago Cubs have been fiery to say the least on the Trade Market. After making a move earlier on Wednesday November 20th to bolster the bullpen, they then proceeded to make another trade this time with the Los Angles Angels to add catcher Matt Thaiss to the roster. In a corresponding move to make room for Thaiss on the 40-man roster, the Chicago Cubs Designated RHP Trey Wingenter for assignment per Andy Martinez.
The 29-year-old Thaiss has spent his entire career in the Angles organization where he accumulated 138 hits, 23 doubles, 22 HRs, 79 RBI, for a slash line of .208/.313/.342 for an OPS and OPS+ of .655 and 81. A former 1st round pick Thaiss sadly hasn’t lived up to the hype offensively nor defensively. According to Baseball Savant Thaiss ranked the 17th percentile for Pop Time at 2.01 seconds, which is what led to him only having a 14.8% caught stealing percentage per Baseball Reference.
This move isn’t the “upgrade” that Jed Hoyer had said he would like to see for the catching position, but it’s a good move from a depth perspective. As of now the only catcher on the Major League roster is Miguel Amaya who is slated to take the bulk of the catching duties, but the Chicago Cubs are still looking to platoon or fully upgrade the spot. And with Moisés Ballesteros (Cubs #4 prospect) not expected to make the Major League club next year and his future possibly being at another position, Thaiss is a solid backup option for now.
As of now if the Chicago Cubs wanted to find a better platoon option to pair with Amaya, the only lefties on the free agent market who are available to consider are Yasmaini Grandal who is a switch hitter and Omar Narváez. Both of whom are decent backstops but are the same caliber of player as Matt Thaiss. The only suitable options that would be considered an “upgrade” and who are still available are Danny Jansen (30) who the Cubs have been linked to and Gary Sánchez (32). Both would be better options to play over Amaya, but Jansen is more of a defensive first catcher, while Sánchez is more offensive first.
For now, Thaiss is a good depth piece to add for the ball club incase anything happens to Amaya. And with Thaiss ability to also play 1st Base and 3rd base, he adds a lot more value with versatility if needed to come off the bench in a late situation.
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