The Chicago Cubs enter the offseason with the familiar weight of expectation pressing down on the North Side. Milwaukee’s recent World Series triumph has only intensified the urgency for a franchise long defined by near-misses and historic heartbreak.
With Carson Kelly declining his mutual option and entering free agency, the backstop position sits open at a moment when the rest of the roster is also facing potential subtraction.
Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ remain unsigned, and their possible departures would strip two middle-of-the-order bats from a lineup that already leans on Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman and Michael Busch for production.
Christopher Kline of FanSided recently outlined a realistic path forward that would address the catching vacancy while injecting proven power into the lineup.
He suggests the Cubs acquire Athletics All-Star Shea Langeliers, the 28-year-old right-handed hitter who is under club control through 2028 and is coming off a season in which he posted a .262 average, .802 OPS and 23 home runs in 106 games despite a torn meniscus.
Langeliers would step directly into Kelly’s role and provide the kind of right-handed thump that could offset the loss of Suzuki or Happ, preserving the offensive identity Chicago has built under manager Craig Counsell.
In exchange, the Athletics would receive hard-throwing right-hander Ben Brown and catching prospect Owen Ayers.
Brown, still just 27 and controlled through 2030, broke out with a 1.85 ERA and 65 strikeouts across 68 innings before a stress fracture in his neck ended his season.
All indications point toward a full recovery by spring, making him the type of upside arm the pitching-needy Athletics covet.
Ayers, ranked as Chicago’s No. 2 prospect, tore through the minors with a .289/.403/.526 slash line and 25 home runs, giving the A’s an immediate successor behind the plate.
For the Cubs, the calculation is straightforward.
They surrender a pitcher who has yet to prove he can stay healthy and a prospect who has not yet established himself in the majors, while gaining two full seasons of an All-Star catcher who has already demonstrated 25-to-30 home run power at the highest level.
The move would stabilize the lineup, reduce reliance on the free-agent market for catching help, and signal that the front office intends to compete rather than merely retool.
Whether the Athletics ultimately accept remains uncertain, but the framework Kline presents offers Chicago a concrete way to convert pitching depth and prospect capital into the kind of impact bat the club needs if it hopes to answer Milwaukee’s championship.
