Cubs release veteran Gomes, add former Mets catcher Nido
The Cubs decided it was time to address their weakest position. So they designated veteran catcher Yan Gomes for assignment Wednesday and signed former Mets backup Tomas Nido.
Gomes, who turns 37 next month, had two very good seasons with the Cubs. His performance was likely a contributing factor to the team deciding to move on from Willson Contreras.
But Gomes experienced a sharp decline this year and wasn't even splitting the catching duties evenly with Miguel Amaya. Gomes went from a .267 average with 63 RBI last year to .154 and 7 RBI this summer.
“Of course it was a tough decision,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Yan is a great teammate and an important person in the clubhouse. But in the end, we just felt like we had to make an attempt at trying to get more production out of the catching spot.”
Nido, 30, was recently released by the Mets, but he could be an upgrade both offensively and defensively. He was hitting .229 with a 21% caught stealing rate in New York.
Nido actually made his major-league debut at Wrigley Field on Sept. 13, 2017. He was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in Florida and had spent his entire career with the Mets after being drafted in 2012. The Cubs face the Mets this weekend, which should make the transition easier for Nido.
“I want to win,” Nido said. “I'll do whatever it takes to get the team on the right track. Help Miguel in whatever way I can and get the staff rolling, I know we can win a lot for games here.”
Counsell acknowledged the Cubs are losing one of the most respected voices in the clubhouse. Gomes has been in the majors for 13 seasons with five teams. He was on the Cleveland team that lost to the Cubs in the 2016 World Series.
“We lost a player that has great leadership qualities, absolutely,” Counsell said. “How you're playing should not affect the size of your voice.”
Counsell added a vote of confidence for Amaya, who is hitting .188 in his second year with the Cubs and has thrown out just 5 of 47 basestealers. Counsell knows Amaya missed large chunks of the 2021-22 seasons in the minors due to injuries.
“I think there's a good offensive player in there,” Counsell said. “Sometimes you have to go through this to get there.”
Brown gets better news:
Manager Craig Counsell struggled to find the right words to describe pitcher Ben Brown's medical update. But it's essentially positive news. Counsell said after seeing a number of specialists, doctors have moved off the original diagnosis of stress reaction in his neck.
The new description was a lesion or small benign mass on the bone that's already gotten better without treatment.
“Ben threw yesterday. That's good,” Counsell said. “He's not symptom-free … but he's feeling good and we think this can move on much more quickly.”
Around the horn:
Pitcher Keegan Thompson, after recording the save in Tuesday night's win, hurried to the hospital for the birth of his son, Cooper. Thompson was placed on the paternity list and Porter Hodge was recalled from Iowa. …
Injured reliever Yency Almonte (right shoulder strain) threw a live bullpen session in South Bend on Tuesday. The plan is to continue to do that and build up strength before going on a rehab assignment.
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