Chicago Cubs sign former Toronto Blue Jays catcher

According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Cubs and catcher Christian Bethancourt have agreed to a minor league deal.

Bethancourt, 34, was a Cub in his most recent stint in the big leagues. Chicago rostered him in the second half of the 2024 season.

He performed well in a small sample. He took 59 plate appearances in 24 games with a strong .281/.305/.509 batting line in that time.

Since his offense has been very up-and-down in his career, the Cubs presumably didn't feel that kind of production was sustainable.

The Blue Jays signed Bethancourt to a minor league deal last offseason. He spent 2025 with Triple-A Buffalo without getting a call up to the majors.

Toronto's catchers stayed relatively healthy this year but Bethancourt also didn't do himself any favors.

As mentioned, his offense has been inconsistent and he hit .173/.219/.332 for the Bisons this year.

Though he's coming off a down year at the plate, there's no harm in this deal for the Cubs.

They haven't committed anything and things went well the last time they had Bethancourt around.

Their catching situation is also a bit fluid right now. Another former Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire got a decent amount of playing time in 2025 but he has been non-tendered.

Bethancourt gives the Cubs a bit of non-roster depth at the Triple-A level. As mentioned, he's coming off a down year at the plate but he's a veteran who made his major league debut over a decade ago.

He has a decent defensive reputation, though more so for his work controlling the running game than his framing or blocking. If he eventually is added to the roster, he is out of options.