Cubs DFA Catcher Following Dodgers Trade

The Chicago Cubs have finalized their trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs sent left-handed pitching prospect Jackson Ferris along with 2023 11th round pick Zyhir Hope to the Dodgers in exchange for LA’s 2019 first-round pick Michael Busch and right-handed relief pitcher Yency Almonte.

To make room on the team’s 40-man roster following the deal, the Cubs DFA’d recently acquired catcher Brian Serven, who was claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies earlier in January.

The Cubs have picked up a handful of catchers this offseason and they’re probably anticipating that Serven will clear waivers and remain in the organization. Ideally, Serven will open up the season as a veteran catcher at Triple-A Iowa, hanging around in case of an emergency. But first he has to clear waivers and not get claimed by another team.

Serven made his MLB debut in 2022, appearing in 62 games with Colorado. In 205 plate appearances, Serven had a slash line of .203/.261/.332, while slugging six home runs that only resulted in a 52 wRC+. In 2023, Serven had injury-plagued season, playing a total of 11 games with the Rockies and 38 games at Triple-A.

Overall, in his first two stints in the majors, Serven slashed .195/.248/.314, in 228 plate appearances. Looking at his numbers behind the plate, Serven was good at neutralizing the running game, throwing out 5 of 12 attempted base stealers.

Earlier in the offseason, the Cubs also signed Jorge Alfaro to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. The Cubs also signed another catcher to a minor league deal in Joe Hudson.

We’ll have more on Busch and Almonte. In the meantime, here’s a first look at Almonte and a quick story on Busch here. After a few months of inactivity, the Cubs are finally stringing significant moves together. Expect more to come.