CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs are stockpiling catchers.

The Cubs acquired Paul Bako on Tuesday from the Milwaukee Brewers, just two weeks after getting Damian Miller from Arizona. Throw in Todd Hundley, and the Cubs now have three catchers on their roster.

''I told you earlier we were going to address our catching, so that's what we're doing,'' Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said.

But don't expect all three to be with the Cubs next spring. Both Bako and Miller are arbitration eligible, and the Cubs are hoping to deal Hundley, in a slump ever since he signed a $23.5 million, four-year deal two years ago.

There's a slim chance the Cubs could pick up yet another catcher, too. Hendry had lunch Friday with free agent Ivan Rodriguez, who was in town for a card show.

The Cubs' trade doesn't preclude the possibility of the Cubs signing Rodriguez, a baseball source with knowledge of this situation told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.

''I was very impressed with Pudge. He's in very good shape,'' Hendry said. ''(But) both sides really don't know where the market is going for Pudge.''

The Cubs want to wait to see what kind of market and price tag Rodriguez has by mid-December before deciding whether to pursue him. They're taking a similar stance with Jeff Kent, who has made it very clear he is interested in playing for Dusty Baker, even if it means a move to third base.

In Bako, the Cubs know they're getting a strong defensive catcher. He has a .990 fielding percentage in five seasons with Milwaukee, Detroit, Houston, Florida and Atlanta.

His best years came in Atlanta, where he was the personal catcher for four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux. In 1½ seasons with the Braves, Atlanta pitchers had a 3.48 ERA with Bako behind the plate.

He also threw out nearly a third of the baserunners who tried to steal off of him during that same period.

''Getting Bako makes sense for us,'' Hendry said. ''He's a quality defensive catcher. He's a left-handed hitter, which makes some sense for us.''

A career .245 hitter, Bako has 13 homers and 102 RBI.

Acquired by the Brewers in a spring training deal with the Braves last March, Bako played in 76 games, making 65 starts. He had a .991 fielding percentage and hit .235 with four home runs and 20 RBI.

He also matched his career high with an eight-game hitting streak from May 2-15.

Bako was drafted by Cincinnati in the fifth round of the 1993 amateur draft. He was traded to Detroit in November 1997, and made his major league debut the next year. He was traded to Houston in January 1999 and then to Florida in April 2000 before being awarded to Atlanta on a waiver claim in July 2000.

After first announcing they were giving up minor league infielder Ryan Gripp, the Cubs later said Milwaukee would get a player to be named.

The Brewers later announced they avoided salary arbitration with catcher Robert Machado by agreeing on a one-year deal. Machado, acquired from the Cubs on June 9, hit .261 with three homers and 22 RBI last season.

The Cubs also made a three-year, $10.5-million offer to Mike Remlinger, another Braves free agent who could be on the verge of leaving, Stark reported. Pat Gibbons, Remlinger's agent, wouldn't confirm the Cubs' offer. But he did say that, like Tom Glavine, Remlinger isn't ready to give the Braves a hometown discount.

"Mike would like a three-year deal, which he's going to get," Gibbons said. "He's not waiting for them (to make a final offer). If they want to call, certainly he'd like to listen. But they know the sort of situation Mike is looking for. If they're going to get there, certainly he'll listen. But so far, they've shown no inclination to get there."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.