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The 10-year veteran might have difficulty finding a spot in the Cubs’ lineup
Veteran outfielder Michael Conforto will try to revive his career after reportedly signing a minor-league contract with the Chicago Cubs on Monday, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports.
Conforto, who will turn 33 in March, played last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He appeared in 138 games, slashing a career-worst .199/.305/.333 with 12 home runs, 20 doubles and 36 RBI in 486 plate appearances. He wasn’t a factor in the Dodgers’ repeating as World Series champions, as the team left him off its postseason roster.
Looking at the Cubs’ roster, it’s difficult to see where Conforto would fit in. Taking over in right field for the departed Kyle Tucker might seem like a possibility, but the Cubs have Seiya Suzuki and his 32 home runs to play there. Ian Happ will play left field and hits right-handed pitching as well as Conforto (.791 OPS, 18 homers in 2025). Conforto hasn’t regularly played center field since 2019, so he likely wouldn’t be a defensive replacement or substitute when Pete Crow-Armstrong needs a day off. At designated hitter, Moisés Ballesteros (.309/.387/.491) is probably the preferred choice, though Conforto could be an option.
The hope is that Conforto could rediscover something close to his form in 2019, when he hit 33 homers and 29 doubles for the New York Mets. But the 10-year MLB veteran hasn’t approached those numbers since then, failing to register an OPS above .759 in four of his past five seasons. (He missed the entire 2022 campaign due to a shoulder injury.)
Otherwise, if the expectation is a left-handed bat who can play both corner outfield positions (and maybe center field) and provide depth to the lineup, Conforto could be a nice addition. Cubs manager Craig Counsell said as much to reporters.
“At this point, we’re looking to bring in candidates to just strengthen the roster,” Counsell said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “And it’s a sign of just continuing to do that. Michael had a down year last year but has been a good player in this league for quite a while.”
Conforto will also face competition from veterans Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick. And top prospect Kevin Alcantara could be in the major-league lineup by the end of the season.
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