Cubs Make Trade with Diamondbacks
Who says the Cubs aren’t buyers at this year’s trade deadline???
On Sunday, the Cubs acquired P.J. Higgins from the Arizona Diamondbacks for you guessed it, cash considerations. Higgins, 30, spent the first seven years of his pro career in the Cubs organization after being picked in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
Higgins made his MLB debut with the Cubs on May 19, 2021. This past offseason the Cubs DFA’d Higgins and then out-righted him to Triple-A after clearing waivers. The right-handed hitter elected free agency in January and then signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks within two weeks.
Higgins was a non-roster invitee to spring training in Diamondbacks camp and he began the regular season at Triple-A with the Reno Aces. He’s been in Triple-A all season, putting up good numbers in the hitter-friendly league. In 58 games, Higgins has put up a slash line of .317/.407/.473, with 6 home runs, 46 RBI, 33 walks and 49 strikeouts in 263 plate appearances.
This move from the Cubs comes right after Dom Nuñez hit the injured list at Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs. Coincidentally, Higgins decided to move on from the Cubs back in the offseason, when the team signed Nuñez to be one of their depth catchers at Triple-A. Now, Higgins is back to essentially replace Nuñez, who got injured last Friday.
The Cubs selected Higgins in the 12th round of the 2015 draft out of Old Dominion. He spent his first season in the Cubs organization playing second, third and shortstop before the team moved him to catcher in 2016. Higgins got his first cup of coffee in the majors in 2021, first called up in May of that season. He stayed on the roster for about three weeks and played in nine games.
In 2022, Higgins got more playing time, and although he was praised for his game-calling, the bat didn’t stay hot after getting off to a good start in May and June. Higgins ended the 2022 season with a slash line of .229/.310/.383, with six home runs in 201 at-bats. He wasn’t flat out terrible, but was still below league average in a season where offense was down across the board.
Again, this was purely a depth move needed more out of desperation because of an injury with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. This isn’t a case where Higgins is about to replace Tucker Barnhart or anything like that when it comes to the backup catcher spot.
Luckily, the Cubs have actually gotten good production from Miguel Amaya during his rookie season in the big leagues this year. It would be even better if the Cubs played Amaya more often, but hell, what do we know, right?
Anyway, welcome back to the Cubs organization, P.J. Higgins!