The Chicago Cubs made quite a few trades [VIDEO] during both the regular trade deadline and the waiver wire deadline. One deal that might be overlooked but probably shouldn't is going to be the trade made for catcher Bobby Wilson. The deal between the Cubs and the Minnesota Twins was made in an under the radar move right before the calendar turned to September 1. That means that if the Cubs want to, they can place him on the playoff roster without any problems. The question now is - why would Chicago want a catcher who will likely be third string, on the playoff roster?

That question can be answered by looking at the team's catcher situation for the season.

Wilson could slide into backup role right away for Chicago Cubs

The first thing to keep in mind is that Bobby Wilson could be the "guy" as we roll through September. The Cubs have been having some problems with their catchers, especially on the defensive side. Starting backstop Willson Contreras was expected to have a breakout season. He did, in fact, make an appearance in the All-Star game. Unfortunately, he hasn't done what we thought he would do at the plate.

Behind the plate, Contreras has a strong throwing arm as a weapon. The problem is that, defensively, that's about where his upside ends. Contreras rates among the worst catchers in the league when it comes to something called "pitch framing." For the uninitiated, this is how a catcher makes a pitch, that was a ball, look as though it crosses the plate as it came to his mitt.

Caratini is rated as slightly better on the pitch framing metric but he's still got a negative rating. Considering how the Chicago Cubs have had problems with their pitching over the course of the season, having someone who could change that trend is important. The pitching staff has been better recently, having a catcher with good framing stats could put the rotation over the top.

Offense isn't key for the Chicago Cubs in this trade

For Cubs fans reviewing this trade, it's important to note that Bobby Wilson wasn't brought in as an extra bat. That might cause heartburn for some in Chicago. The veteran catcher had a slash line of .178/.242/.281 for the Twins. In other words, he was absolutely a liability at the plate.

That isn't phasing Cubs management because he was never thought of as someone who could bolster the lineup [VIDEO]. The Chicago Cubs are looking for someone who could be inserted into the starting nine as a change of pace on the defensive side of the ball.
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