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, batting a career-worst .199/.305/.333 with 12 home runs, 20 doubles and 36 RBI in 486 plate appearances. But 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 likely play left field and hits right-handed pitching (.791 OPS, 18 homers in 2025 ), as well as Conforto (career .811 OPS). At designated hitter, Moisés Ballesteros (.309/.387/.491) is probably the preferred choice, though Conforto could provide more power.
Additionally, 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.
The hope is that Conforto could find something close to his 2019 form 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, failing to register an OPS above .759 in four of his five seasons since then. (He missed the entire 2022 campaign with a shoulder injury.)
Otherwise, if the expectation is for 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.”
But 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.