Cubs Strengthen Catching Depth with Veteran Acquisition

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, catcher Carson Kelly and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a two-year, $11.5 million contract.

Once a former top prospect, Kelly revitalized his career last year in a part-time role with the Detroit Tigers. The Cubs will sign Kelly to a low-risk contract likely to use him in a similar manner.

Catcher Carson Kelly’s deal with the Chicago Cubs Is for two years and $11.5 million, sources tell ESPN. On a big day with the addition of Kyle Tucker, the Cubs also add to their catching depth.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 13, 2024

Carson Kelly, Cubs Agree to a Two-Year Contract

At one point, many viewed Kelly, then a top catching prospect with the St. Louis Cardinals, as the heir apparent to Yadier Molina. But with Molina locked in the position with no end in sight, St. Louis flipped Kelly to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Paul Goldschmidt trade.

He spent four and a half seasons as Arizona’s primary catcher and showed some promise. Unfortunately, he never fully developed as hoped and struggled with injuries and poor performance. In his Diamondbacks career, Kelly appeared in 384 games, tallied 1,299 plate appearances, and hit .230/.316/.397 (92 OPS+).

Arizona cut ties with Kelly mid-way through 2023. While he continued to struggle after the Tigers acquired him soon after, Kelly proved he had much in the tank in 2024. He started the season as a backup in Detroit but quickly earned a bigger role due to his solid production.

2-out RBI single from Carson Kelly to get us on the board pic.twitter.com/GdizuapVoG

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 25, 2024

Teams noticed his revitalization, which allowed the Tigers to deal him to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline. Overall, the backstop appeared in 91 games and hit a solid .238/.313/.374 (96 OPS+) with favorable strikeout and walk rates.

Defensively, metrics did not love his performance. Kelly recorded -6 Defensive Runs Saved in 672 2/3 innings last season, by far the worst mark of his career. That said, he graded out well for Statcast metrics that evaluate pitch blocking, framing, and throwing base-stealers out.

If anything, Kelly showed last season that he can still be a useful player on a competitive team. If Chicago uses Kelly correctly, there should be little regret in signing him to this contract.