Detroit Tigers catcher Carson Kelly (15) gets ready to take the field against Cleveland Guardians for the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
The busiest day of the offseason so far for the Chicago Cubs has continued with another move, this time in the form of a free agent signing.
Hours after acquiring All-Star Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster trade, the Cubs have agreed to a two-year contract with veteran catcher Carson Kelly, addressing one of the club's prominent needs.
Kelly, 30, was born in Chicago before playing high school baseball in Oregon, and will be entering his 10th MLB season in 2025.
Initially a highly-regarded catching prospect with the rival St. Louis Cardinals, Kelly was shipped to the Arizona Diamondbacks following the 2018 season in a significant trade that sent D-Backs franchise cornerstone Paul Goldschmidt to the Redbirds.
Kelly remained in the Diamondbacks organization for nearly five full seasons before being released by the club in the summer of 2023. Kelly has since spent big league time with the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers.
In 2024 with Detroit and Texas, Kelly hit nine home runs and posted 37 RBI with a .238/.313/.374 slash line across 91 games, 60 of which were with the Tigers.
In his career, Kelly has amassed 71 doubles and 54 home runs across 556 games, while also maintaining a reputation as a solid defensive catcher, accumulating 2.7 defensive WAR in his career.
Kelly and Miguel Amaya will likely form the Cubs' 2025 catching tandem, though the club also moved to acquire veteran Matt Thaiss, who spent the past six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
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