Chicago Cubs add Austin Romine for catching depth

The Chicago Cubs address catching depth, add Austin Romine

It was a need and the Chicago Cubs addressed it, but it certainly wasn’t the big splash fans have been hoping for. The Cubs confirmed Saturday they have signed veteran catcher Austin Romine.

Romine’s deal is reportedly for one-year, according to MLB.com‘s Mark Feinsand and, per Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago includes a $1.5 million guarantee.

Romine spent 13 years in the New York Yankees organization after being taken in the second round of the 2007 MLB June Amateur Draft, including parts of eight seasons at the major league level. Last season, he played with the Detroit Tigers on a one-year deal, doing the bulk of the catching.

In 37 games and 135 plate appearances, Romine hit .238/.259/.323 with two home runs and 17 RBI, drawing four walks and striking out 47 times. He’s never been much of an offensive force, with a career slash line of .239/.278/.361.

He had career-highs of 10 homers and 42 RBI with the Yankees in 2018 and produced a career-best .281/.310/.439 slash line in 240 plate appearances with the Bronx Bombers in 2019.

The Cubs had a need for a backup catcher after Victor Caratini, the No. 2 catcher the last three seasons, was traded last month to the San Diego Padres along with right-hander Yu Darvish for right-hander Zach Davies and three minor leaguers, including highly regarded outfield prospects Owen Caissie and Ismael Mena, both just 18 years old and several years away.

The top-rated catcher in the minor-league system according to MLB.com is 21-year-old Miguel Amaya, ranked No. 3 among Cubs prospects. But he has never played above High-A, hitting .235/.351/.402 in 99 games and 410 plate appearances at Myrtle Beach in 2019, with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 57 RBI.

Amaya played in the Arizona Fall League in 2019 and played for Criollos de Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League this offseason.

Willson Contreras, a two-time All-Star, will still do the majority of the catching for the Cubs, who could benefit from the designated hitter rule being adopted for 2021 — any day now, guys in charge of baseball, it’s not as if spring training starts in less than a month … oh, wait. Contreras was able to get days off behind the plate as the DH, starting in that role 18 times.

On the abbreviated season, Contreras hit .243/.356/.407 in 225 plate appearances, with 10 doubles, seven homers and 26 RBI to go with 20 walks and 57 strikeouts. He was also hit a league-high 14 times by pitches, setting a new career-high despite appearing in just 57 games. Contreras had been plunked 13 times in 2018 (in 138 games).

Contreras hit a career-high 24 home runs in 2019 despite being limited to just 105 games because of foot and hamstring injuries. Contreras, who will be 29 in May, is still under team control through the 2022 season before he gains free agent eligibility. Earlier this month, he agreed to a one-year, $6.65 million contract for this season to avoid having to go to arbitration.