"Cubs sign C Carson Kelly to a two-year contract"
On the very same day, the Chicago Cubs acquired All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker through a trade. In addition, they also awarded a two-year contract to free agent catcher Carson Kelly on Friday.
Although the financial details were not disclosed, sources from The Athletic and ESPN revealed that the contract is valued at $11.5 million and includes a mutual option for 2027. According to The Athletic, Kelly has the potential to earn an extra $500,000 in both 2025 and 2026 based on his number of starts.
At the age of 30, Kelly is expected to share the catching position with Miguel Amaya.
Kelly has been on the move for the past two years, changing teams midseason. In 2023, he was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks and quickly signed with the Detroit Tigers. This year, he was traded to the Texas Rangers in July in exchange for two minor league players.
In a total of 91 games played in 2024, Kelly recorded a batting average of .238, an on-base percentage of .313, a slugging percentage of .374, nine home runs, and 37 RBIs.
Throughout his career, which began with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2016 to 2018, Kelly has maintained a batting line of .224/.307/.373 with 54 home runs and 207 RBIs in 556 games.
