Cubs sign former Red Sox catcher Reese McGuire |
Hey, would you look at that?? It's another day and another Minor League signing as the Cubs continue to add depth to their system. As much as everyone would love for this team to add talent to its Major League Roster, minor league depth is equally important, which Jed Hoyer is continuing to stress.
After landing Trevor Richards on Monday and then adding a promising lefty from the Thread Athletics pro day, the Cubs turned right around to make another Minor league signing with catcher Reese McGuire landing with the Cubs. The 29-year-old veteran has primarily been a backup most of his career but has shown the ability to start sporadically, even if the offensive numbers aren't great. Considering how many injuries the Cubs have dealt with at the catcher position in the past two seasons, adding another quality backstop with plenty of MLB experience isn't necessarily bad. Mcguire has spent the better part of his MLB career with two teams as he has patrolled AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox. His best days came with the Blue Jays, where he hit .290 and .299 in his first two seasons, although it was only a 44-game sample size. In those 44 games, McGuire hit the ball and showed some pop as he connected for seven homers and 15 RBIs. It's not bad for a backup catcher to see limited to no action on the field. Following a dismal 2020 (the COVID Season), during which McGuire hit .073, he has bounced back in a big way and has had some solid overall seasons as the second man behind the dish. From 2021 to 2023, McGuire not only saw the ball but never hit below .250 in any of those seasons while also playing an average of 81 games per season. A large chunk of those games were starts, and when he was given the opportunity, McGuire showed that he could produce, as he hit a combined five homers to go with 48 RBIs. If that were over an 80-game season, you would love that kind of production, but that was over a 240-game stretch, which shows you aren't going to get much offensive production from him when in the game. After three relatively solid seasons, McGuire struggled in 2024 and had the worst overall season. Not only did his average plummet to .209 but his three homers and 18 RBIs over 53 games were even less productive than Boston expected. He did that while offering a putrid 6% walk rate and near 26% strikeout rate, as McGuire took a massive step back in several aspects of his game. Considering the season he had last year, McGuire doesn't project well in 2025, but for a Minor League deal with minimal financial commitment, it's worth a shot as he won't take up a 40-man spot from someone else. Even if the numbers don't look great, McGuire isn't going to be on the Major League roster unless there is an injury to Miguel Amaya or Carson Kelly, as he will be the primary starter in AAA. You also have to consider the likes of Moises Ballesteros and Pablo Aliendo continuing to see time behind the plate, thus making this signing look more like a veteran pickup aimed at passing his knowledge down to younger players. If you remember, the Cubs had a guy like this earlier in the season when they traded for Matt Thaiss before sending him to the White Sox. You could have a similar situation here with McGuire, as the Cubs want him to help groom their young catchers, but he could also be used as a trade asset for a team looking for catching help. It's good to have depth across the board, and the Cubs certainly will have plenty of depth, which could be a good thing, depending on how you look at it. Look for McGuire to split time with Carlos Perez in AAA this season, as the Cubs will have plenty of tough decisions to make once the season starts.
