MLB Insider: Cubs to sign Tomas Nido, designate catcher Yan Gomes for assignment

Free-agent catcher Tomás Nido and the Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a contract, according to sources familiar with the deal. In a corresponding move, Yan Gomes has been designated for assignment, sources tell FanSided.

Nido, 30, was recently designated for assignment and released by the New York Mets. He’s regarded as a strong defensive catcher and has once again graded positively behind the plate in 2024. But he slashed only .229/.261/.361 with three home runs in 90 plate appearances this season and became expendable, paving the way for the Mets to part ways with Nido in the second year of a two-year, $3.7 million contract. 

In eight career seasons, all of which came with the Mets, Nido slashed .214/.251/.313 with a .561 OPS, 16 home runs and 82 RBI in 895 plate appearances.

MLB Insider: Cubs sign Tomás Nido amid need for catcher upgrades

In Chicago, Nido fills an obvious need for depth behind the plate with both Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya struggling. Gomes, 36, is hitting only .154/.179/.242 with a .421 OPS in 33 games while Amaya, 25, is slashing .185/.248/.267 with a .516 OPS in 51 games.

Nido will only cost the prorated major-league minimum for any time spent in the big leagues.

While Nido adds another option behind the plate, the Cubs’ needs extend far beyond catcher. In a highly disappointing start to the season, Chicago ranks last in the National League Central while the offense has underperformed and the bullpen, particularly in the late innings, has struggled.

For now, team president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and manager Craig Counsell will rely heavily on internal options to dig them out of that hole – and with the trade deadline less than six weeks away, it’s unclear if the Cubs will be in position to buy or sell.