Pressure is on For the Worst Cubs Free Agent Signing
The Chicago Cubs had a busy offseason, adding 10 free agents to MLB contracts. Expectations for each varied and a handful have so far worked out better than expected, while others have been failures now into June.
The Eric Hosmer signing was bad, but he was released after getting 100 plate appearances and he was brought in on a league minimum deal. Trey Mancini has been underwhelming to bad, but not completely awful, while Jameson Taillon has plenty of time to turn it around. The free agent relievers have been meh, but again on short commitments. Yet, I, and many Cubs fans, still have no idea what the team thought they were going to get from catcher Tucker Barnhart.
The now 32-year-old catcher was brought in because of his “soft skills” that the Cubs have pushed to the top of their priority list when it comes to their catchers after Willson Contreras was let go in free agency. I mean, I guess Barnhart has been fine, but it’s not like he’s really shown to be the stereotypical backup catcher that is truly great defensively. However, the Cubs are getting the other side of that, which is Barnhart has been a complete liability when he has to hit.
And this is why the signing was met with many groans because it’s not like Barnhart was trending upward. Here are Barnhart’s slash lines from 2019-22.
Tucker Barnhart Stats 2019-22
2019:.231/.328/.380, 78 wRC+ (364 Plate Appearances)
2020: .204/.291/.388, 76 wRC+ (110 Plate Appearances)
2021: .247/.317/.368, 80 wRC+ (388 Plate Appearances)
2022: .221/.287/.267, 63 wRC+ (308 Plate Appearances)
2023 Tucker Barnhart
.156/.257/.172, 27 wRC+ (74 Plate Appearances)
So yeah, who could have seen Barnhart do this so far in 2023? EVERYONE!
He has one extra base hit all year with the Cubs that came back on May 1, against the Washington Nationals, a double. It’s one thing to come in and not have many expectations as a hitter, but there is no chance in hell the Cubs can seriously be out here attempting to win games with Tucker Barnhart in the lineup a few days every week when he’s pretty close to an automatic out.
The National League hasn’t had pitchers hitting since 2019, but every game that Barnhart starts at catcher is basically going back in time and seeing pitchers come up to the plate. He’s so bad. No, not bad, worse than bad. And that brings us to Miguel Amaya.
I certainly wish that Amaya was called up under better circumstances, as he was brought up from Triple-A on Saturday, when the Cubs placed Justin Steele on the 15-day injured list. But hey, let’s stick with the positives here. Like Barnhart, Amaya has also been praised for his “soft skills” but unlike Barnhart, Amaya actually has some potential in his bat.
Amaya is 24-year-old and the only reason he’s not already established in the majors with the Cubs is because of a series of injuries. However, he’s been back at full strength this year and throughout his minor league career Amaya has consistently shown a great eye at the plate and as he’s matured, his power has increased.
We saw the good approach back in May, when Amaya was first called up when Yan Gomes was on the concussion injured list, and on Sunday the young catcher showed a glimpse of why he was considered a top prospect for years prior to his injuries.
Amaya reached base all four times against the San Diego Padres, going 3-for-3, with a hit-by-pitch. In the third inning, Amaya crushed his first MLB home run.
Amaya’s three-hit game matched Barnhart’s production from the past month.
Barnhart signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Cubs. Bad, but that dollar amount should not make the team hesitate about letting him go if he does not turn it around in the next month or two. I’m not saying the Cubs need to DFA Barnhart right now, but the team should prioritize playing Amaya more. Keep Barnhart around, but keep his playing time as limited as possible.
Every front office is going to make mistakes, multiple mistakes at a time, but they make it worse when they don’t cut a guy loose and continue to keep him around. My hope is that Amaya is given a bigger opportunity and he looks good, which makes the decision on Barnhart easier. It can get complicated with an injury, but at this point any replacement can match Barnhart’s production because the defense just does not out-weigh whatever it is he’s doing on offense.