After a productive stint as depth in Chicago, Reese McGuire lands with a division rival in a move that makes sense for everyone involved—at least on paper.
Former Chicago Cubs catcher Reese McGuire has a new team, and the Cubs may be seeing plenty of him during the 2026 season.
McGuire has agreed to a minor-league deal with division rival Milwaukee Brewers, a contract that includes an invitation to spring training. It’s the same type of deal Chicago gave McGuire last season, when the Cubs brought him in as catching depth behind Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya.
McGuire opened the year in Triple-A Iowa before being promoted out of necessity in late May. He made his Cubs debut on May 25 in Cincinnati and immediately made an impact, launching two home runs in that game.
He proved to be valuable depth for the Cubs throughout the season. McGuire appeared in 45 games, logged 133 at-bats, hit a career-high nine home runs, and played excellent defense behind the plate. He finished the season with a .688 OPS and 0.8 fWAR—an entirely respectable contribution as a backup catcher a playoff-caliber club.
Still, there was never a realistic path for McGuire to return to Chicago in 2026. With both Kelly and Amaya returning healthy, and with Moisés Ballesteros arriving at the big-league level, the Cubs simply had no use for four catchers on the 40-man roster, let alone the active 2026.
In truth, it was better for McGuire to land with a team that could offer him a clearer path to MLB playing time.
That opportunity may exist in Milwaukee. The Brewers’ 40-man roster currently includes just two catchers: two-time All-Star William Contreras and prospect Jefferson Quero. While Quero is one of Milwaukee’s better prospects, he has yet to appear in a big league game and has only 59 games of experience at the Triple-A level.
Quero may not be fully ready for the big leagues, and if that’s the case, McGuire could find himself on the Brewers’ Opening Day roster. Even if Quero does make the team, his lengthy injury history makes it reasonable to expect McGuire to be in line for a call-up at some point during the season.
The move makes all the sense in the world for McGuire. Get a big league opportunity for a playoff contender. But that won’t stop Cubs fans from doing a complete 180 after rooting for him in 2025.
If you go to Milwaukee, you become the enemy. That’s just how it works. There will not be any rooting fro McGuire to succeed at his new stop.