The Cubs took a step toward addressing their need for catching depth by signing former top-100 prospect Jorge Alfaro to a minor-league deal with a non-roster invite to spring training. This marks the conclusion of a long flirtation with Alfaro, who was mentioned as part of potential Willson Contreras trades involving the Marlins in 2021 and the Padres in ’22. The latter was a pretty loose connection, but still.
Alfaro rose through the prospect rankings due to his 70-grade raw power and hit 18 homers with the Marlins in 2019 as he got 465 plate appearances.