According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Chicago Cubs are interested in Mets backup catcher Rene Rivera. The Cubs have had a hold at the backup catcher position since the team released Miguel Montero after his rant regarding how Jake Arrieta didn’t give him an opportunity to throw out base stealers on a night when the Washington Nationals were a perfect 7/7 in stolen base attempts.
Rivera has played 46 games for the Mets this season hitting .245/.291/.395 with six homers and 20 RBI. Behind the plate, Rivera has had good pitch framing numbers, and he has thrown out 38% of runners.
Rivera has a reputation not only as a strong defensive catcher, but also as a catcher who works well with pitchers. He entered this season as Noah Syndergaard‘s personal catcher, and once Syndergaard went down with a torn lat, Rivera has been working mostly with young pitchers. Recently, he has been used to catch Rafael Montero, who is pitching the best baseball of his major league career.
It is unknown what the Cubs are offering the Mets for Rivera. It is unlikely there will be a large return as teams typically do not give away good prospects for backup catchers at the trade deadline. With that said, Rivera could be an additional piece in a larger deal as the Cubs have also been rumored to be interested in Addison Reed.
