The Cubs dropped their first game to the Rangers and lost their main starting pitcher to a hamstring injury on Thursday. They were active on the transaction wire on Friday, but not to find a replacement for Justin Steele. Instead, they were adding depth to their catching position, signing former Reds catcher Curt Casali to provide defensive support for Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya.
Casali will start the year in Triple-A Iowa. He spent Spring Training with the Marlins, but went 1-for-17 in nine games and did not make the major-league roster for Florida; he was granted his release. The Cubs signed him to a minor-league deal.
Casali was not brought to the Cubs for his hitting abilities. He has a career batting average of .220 and a .314 on-base percentage. At 35, Casali is nearing the end of his career and has never played in more than 84 games in his 10 major-league seasons, which were spent with four different teams.
Throughout his career, Casali has a WAR of 6.6, which is considered good for a non-hitter, and has 19 career defensive runs saved, per Fan Graphs.
Curt Casali an Experienced Veteran Presence
Casali is experienced in moving between the minor and major leagues. Last year, while playing for the Reds, he played six games with Triple-A Louisville as part of a rehab assignment. In 2022, he had stints with Sacramento and Tacoma of the Pacific Coast League while splitting the year between the Giants and Mariners.
As part of what now seems to be a three-man catching rotation, Casali is expected to provide a strong veteran presence and positive team chemistry. When he was with the Reds last year, he talked about the bond he had with the team’s other catchers, Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile.
“I think that way is pretty standard across the board, maybe not as close [as here],” Casali said, per MLB.com. “But catchers generally stick together. We’re spending time with each other, and the catching coach is only responsible for a handful of guys, unlike an infield or outfield coach, who has more players to deal with.
“It can become close and more intimate quicker. That is definitely a positive because there aren’t guys to fight for reps with.”
Cubs Dealing With Justin Steele Injury
The big question for the Cubs, in terms of transactions, is whether the team will do anything to try to replace ace lefty Justin Steele, who is out with a hamstring injury suffered in the first game. For now, at least, the Cubs will rely on their depth players to fill in for Steele. The team called up Ben Brown to take Steele’s place.
Nevertheless, the team's decision-makers may be feeling some regret that they didn't make an effort to sign a top starter like Jordan Montgomery before he signed with the Diamondbacks. It also doesn't help that the No. 2 starter, Jameson Taillon, is also out.
The hope is that Steele will only miss two or three starts. However, hamstrings are notoriously difficult to diagnose.
“It’s hard to tell right now since it’s so soon after it happened,” Steele told reporters after the game. “Spirits are high. It was good to get out there and get the first one under your belt—opening day, all the jitters and everything. I was definitely nervous today leading up to the outing, so it was good to feel all those emotions and get back out there and have a speedy recovery from this.”
