Cubs facing 'interesting' catcher question on three key players

Cubs facing ‘interesting’ catcher question on three key players originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Chicago Cubs are going to be eyeing some upgrades to the pitching staff this upcoming offseason, with multiple starting pitchers and bullpen pieces likely to be added.

Following a disappointing end to the 2026 season, a sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round, the Cubs need to figure out how best to upgrade their team for a deep postseason run in 2027.

While pitching and outfield are major needs, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers highlighted how the catcher position, thanks to three key players, will make for a very “interesting” offseason question for the Cubs this winter.

Cubs facing interesting catcher question for MLB offseason

“What will they do at catcher? Kelly has been nothing short of excellent over his two years in Chicago,” Rogers writes. “… Chicago has an up-and-coming catcher on Owen Ayers and still has Miguel Amaya under team control, and Kelly has a mutual option, so it’ll be interesting how the team handles the position.”

The Cubs could very easily decide to shake up the catcher position this offseason, letting Kelly walk and picking up some veteran to take over the starting job.

But there is also a scenario where picking up Kelly’s option and bringing him back for another season would make a lot of sense.

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With Amaya and Ayers as depth options, if not starters if needed, the Cubs’ offseason decision at the catcher position is one of the more interesting ones the team will have this winter.

There’s little doubt about what the team will do with the starting rotation and the bullpen, and the two beloved fan-favorite outfielders, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ, look likely to leave in free agency.

But when it comes to the catcher position, there are multiple realistic paths the team could take to shake things up, or keep things the same going forward.

While it might not be the biggest question mark for the Cubs this offseason, how Jed Hoyer and the Cubs go about setting the catcher position up for the 2027 MLB season will be very interesting.

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