Cubs Made One of Best Bargain Free Agent Additions This Past Offseason

A free agent addition has provided the Chicago Cubs with incredible value this season.

May 20, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (15) hits a single against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs offseason didn’t receive much praise after their acquisition of star right fielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros since the team opted to play it safe despite landing the elite talent.

To the chagrin of their fan base and agents alike, the Cubs weren’t aggressive in free agency making additions. They were more than comfortable upgrading on the fringes of their roster, not jumping into the top tiers of the market to pay top dollar for players.

Chicago was ridiculed, and rightfully so, for slashing payroll ahead of the 2025 campaign from what their roster costed in 2024.

It was certainly a risky move, especially since they are guaranteed only one year of Tucker as an anchor in their lineup since he is set to hit free agency after the season.

Carson Kelly Has Been One of Best Value Signings for Cubs

Evidently, the front office knew exactly what they were doing because one of their additions, catcher Carson Kelly, has been one of the best bargain bin signings according to Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated.

The two sides agreed to a two-year, $11.5 million deal, with plans of him splitting time with Miguel Amaya.

That has continued, but an injury to Amaya has been easier to overcome with Kelly providing All-Star-level production through May.

Kelly has been fantastic with a .279/.400/.568 slash line, nine home runs, three doubles, one triple and 24 RBI.

He has cooled off from his torrid start to the season, but has already produced a 2.0 bWAR. His previous career-high for a single year is 2.1 in 2021 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“Kelly seemed all set to have the short half of the job share behind the plate in Chicago, with youngster Miguel Amaya getting a shot as the team’s primary backstop. Instead, both have been productive, with the pair combining to give Cubs catchers a league-best 161 wRC+,” Selbe wrote.

His Batting Run Value of +10 is in the 88th percentile, one of several metrics that he is producing elite numbers in.

His 16.3% walk rate is in the top 2% of the MLB.

Kelly is one of several reasons, along with the historic performance of designated hitter Seiya Suzuki and emerging superstar center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, that Chicago has the most prolific offense in the sport, averaging 5.82 runs per game.