How will Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon use new catcher Alex Avila?

Let’s try to jump into the mind of Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon for a minute and predict how he will use new catcher Alex Avila, while not taking too much time from Willson Contreras.

Late on the eve of the 2017 MLB trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs made an extremely interesting deal with the Detroit Tigers. No Justin Verlander involved, but the Cubs were able to acquire left-handed relief ace Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila without giving up anything off of their major-league roster.

Wilson has gotten a bulk of the attention in this deal and for good reason. He is a lock-down back of the bullpen guy who immediately takes the Cubs’ bullpen to the next level. However, in this post, I want to focus on Avila and how the Cubs will use him going forward.

Alex Avila is not considered an elite defensive catcher, but he is a good one. He will be a slight step down from Willson Contreras when he is behind the plate, but the difference will not be significant. He is, however, considered to be a great clubhouse leader, which is always great from the catcher position.

Elite offensive threat

Oh yeah, Avila has also been one of the best hitting catchers in baseball this season. With his powerful left-handed stroke and a great eye at the plate, Avila is hitting an impressive .274/.394/.475 in 264 plate appearances.

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Avila has played a bit of a part-time role for the Tigers this season, but his results have been impressive. Out of all major league catchers who have at least 250 plate appearances, Avila’s 134 wRC+ trails only Buster Posey. An argument could be made for Avila being the second-best offensive catcher in all of baseball this season.

Now, Avila is a liability against left-handed pitching (hitting .176/.348/.176 against them this season), which hurts his ability to be a full-time starter. However, the Cubs already have Willson Contreras who crushes left-handed pitching from the catcher position. Avila will see his fair share of starts with the Cubs, but it will not be with a lefty on the mound.

Recent slump

While Avila’s season-long numbers are fantastic, he has not been as impressive recently. For the month of July, Avila is hitting an ugly .158/.290/.158. Is this just a minor blip in an otherwise impressive offensive season? Or are we starting to see the downfall of Avila?

It is hard to say for sure, but I have confidence that the Chicago Cubs see something in Avila that makes them think he will turn it around. Perhaps simply taking on a lighter workload will help him going forward.

Splitting up playing time

When he is going right, Avila can undoubtedly be a major addition to the Cubs lineup from the catcher position. However, the Cubs already have an elite young catcher behind the plate in Willson Contreras. Contreras has been tearing the cover off of the ball recently and is an absolute defensive weapon. Simply put, the Cubs are better when he is on the field.

However, the catcher position is extremely demanding. Contreras is taking on a large load of starts behind the plate and it is easy to see how that could negatively affect him for the stretch run. Having Avila around will help keep Contreras fresh, but how much rest is too much rest?

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon talked about incorporating Avila into the lineup in a radio interview on 670 the score on Monday.

"“This guy’s not a backup,” Maddon said. “You look at what he’s done this year and you look at his numbers and his history and he’s still absolutely young enough to play more often. But a great complement, an outstanding complement to Willson.”“So now, to give Willy a day off against a tough right-handed pitcher, here comes Alex, my goodness, we’re in pretty good shape right there. His on-base is more than 100 points higher than his batting average. His OPS versus righties is like .900. That’s elite kind of stuff. Really excited to have him too.”"

Personally, I think will see something like a 70-30 split for the Cubs behind the plate, with Contreras getting the bulk of the starts. Maddon will only use Avila in the starting lineup against right-handed pitchers, particularly looking to get him in the lineup against tough right-handers.

On days that Contreras starts behind the plate, Avila becomes the Cubs’ most valuable left-handed bat off of the bench. Kyle Schwarber‘s ability to catch could prove valuable here. Maddon can freely use Avila as a pinch-hitter off of the bench, knowing that Schwarber can go behind the plate and not kill the Cubs in an emergency situation.

Contreas to left field

On days that Avila starts behind the plate, there will be times where Maddon will still want Contreras’ bat in the lineup. Instead of giving him a full day off, Maddon could send his athletic catcher out to left field. This would help keep Contreras fresh while keeping his bat in the lineup and getting Avila a start.

Maddon hinted at this when talking about the catcher situation in his radio interview. Contreras has the athleticism to play in the outfield. Now, this may take a few starts from guys like Jon Jay or even Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber and Ben Zobrist, but Maddon now has the ability to work the matchups and put out an elite lineup on a daily basis.

Avila was the perfect catcher target for the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline. His ability to make an impact offensively and help keep Contreras fresh for the stretch run is extremely important for the success of this team.

Next: Complete break down of Cubs' trade with Tigers

Finding playing time for everyone will not be easy, but there is not a better manager in the game at doing that than Joe Maddon. Perhaps even more than before, it is going to be extremely interesting to see who the Chicago Cubs put on the lineup card each and every day.