Some of the free agent catchers on the open market include Lou Marson, John Buck, Hector Gimenez, and Kurt Suzuki. Some of these options are viable options to compete for the Cubs backup job. But only 2 of them I would actually consider signing and that would be Marson or Suzuki because they are in the 27-31 age range and have been productive in the past.
Lou Marson could be a good fit because he plays solid defense and has shown a good batting eye, including 36 walks in 235 plate appearances last season. He only played in 3 games in an injury plagued 2013. The only downside about Marson is hitting for average as he is hitting .219 in 882 MLB ABs. He also doesn't have much power with 5 career home runs. Most teams would probably look at him for his defense rather than his offense.
Kurt Suzuki could be a fit because like Marson he is solid defensively but doesn't have as good a batting eye as Marson. He does have offensive potential with some strong seasons behind the plate but he has slown down in recent seasons hitting only .234 in the past 2 seasons with 11 home runs. He is a much better slugger than Marson and that could be the biggest difference between them.
Both would be solid options for the Cubs but I think that Suzuki slightly edges out Marson because he has more power and has shown a much better offensive game than Marson.
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