Cubs To Signal Tomas Nido, DFA Yan Gomes

10:20am: The Cubs have made the strikes official.

9:55am: The Cubs are making a change behind the plate, signing veteran catcher Tomas Nido to an enormous league contract and designating Yan Gomes for project, as first reported by Bleacher Nation’s Michael Cerami. Nido, an ACES shopper, was launched by the Mets on Monday after being designated for project final week. The Mets are on the hook for almost all of this yr’s $2.1MM wage. The Cubs will solely owe Nido the prorated league minimal for any time spent on the roster.

The 30-year-old Nido inked a two-year, $3.7MM contract previous to the 2023 season, shopping for out his closing two seasons of arbitration eligibility. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster final season following a dismal .125/.153/.125 begin via 61 plate appearances however selected to just accept a Triple-A project as a result of the truth that electing free company would’ve required him to forfeit the rest of the assured cash on his contract.

Nido was chosen again to the massive leagues this season when Francisco Alvarez hit the injured record with a thumb damage that required surgical procedure. Throughout his most up-to-date stint with the Mets, Nido surpassed 5 years of MLB service time, which allowed him to reject his newest outright project in favor of free company whereas nonetheless retaining the rest of his wage. He batted .229/.261/.361 via 90 plate appearances with the Mets this season.

That stage of manufacturing is par for the course for Nido, a profession .214/.251/.313 hitter in 895 journeys to the plate on the massive league stage. Offense has by no means been the point of interest of Nido’s recreation, nonetheless. He’s an high-end defensive backstop who attracts plus grades for his framing and pitch-blocking, coupling these expertise with a profession 21% caught-stealing fee that’s proper consistent with this yr’s league common.

Even Nido’s lackluster 2024 output on the plate or his equally uninspiring profession batting line can be an improve over what the 36-year-old Gomes has mustered this season. Gomes was close to league-average on the plate simply final season (.267/.315/.408, 10 homers, 95 wRC+) however has cratered with a career-worst .157/.179/.242 batting line in 96 plate appearances this season. Gomes fanned in simply 18% of his plate appearances with the 2022-23 Cubs and entered 2024 with a profession 23.1% mark within the majors, however he’s whiffed an enormous 36 occasions this season (37.5%).

Like Nido, Gomes has a robust defensive repute, however the numbers don’t bear that out this yr. He’s thwarted simply three of the 24 runners who’ve tried to steal towards him (12.5%) — properly shy of his wonderful 32% profession mark. The Brazilian-born backstop’s once-premium framing numbers are below-average for a second straight season, in the meantime, and Statcast additionally pegs him below-average at blocking pitches within the filth in 2024.

As is the case with Nido, Gomes is enjoying out the ultimate season of a assured contract. Chicago signed him to a two-year, $13MM pact within the 2021-22 offseason. Gomes’ efficiency final yr made it an easy name for the group to train a $6MM membership choice (a web $5MM resolution, given the choice’s $1MM buyout). Even Gomes’ detractors couldn’t have moderately predicted a decline of this magnitude, nonetheless. Gomes’ struggles are a serious motive that Chicago backstops have been the third-worst in all of baseball on the plate, main solely the White Sox and Marlins in that regard.

The Cubs will nonetheless be on the hook for the rest of Gomes’ $6MM wage as soon as he inevitably turns into a free agent. (No group goes to commerce for or declare what’s left on the contract). As soon as he’s launched, Gomes will probably be free to signal with any membership. A brand new group would solely owe him the league minimal for any time spent on the massive league roster. That sum can be subtracted from what the Cubs owe him via season’s finish.