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The Cubs have signed veteran first baseman Garrett Cooper, in line with Craig Mish of the Miami Herald (X hyperlink). It’s a minor league pact for Cooper, who will obtain an invite to Chicago’s large league spring camp.
The 33-year-old hit .251/.304/.419 with 17 house runs over 457 mixed plate appearances with the Marlins and Padres in 2023, translating to a 96 wRC+. Cooper made respectable contact when he did make contact, although his strikeout and stroll charges had been under the league common. His manufacturing picked up a bit after he was dealt to San Diego on the commerce deadline, in a swap which ended Cooper’s six-year run as a Miami common.
A down yr heading into free company was an unlucky final result for Cooper, who had a 117 wRC+ (from 39 homers and a .274/.350/.444 slash line) over 1273 PA for the Marlins from 2019-22 and was even an All-Star in 2022. Accidents have lengthy plagued Cooper and steadily stored him on the injured record, so there’s some irony that he struggled through the healthiest yr of his professional profession. Aside from a minimal 10-day IL stint resulting from an internal ear an infection, Cooper managed to remain on the sphere, but in 2023 misplaced taking part in time resulting from an absence of manufacturing in opposition to right-handed pitching.
Cooper’s splits had been fairly drastic final yr, with a .904 OPS in opposition to lefties and a .666 OPS in opposition to righties. The proper-handed batter had naturally posted higher numbers in opposition to southpaws over his profession, although Cooper had at all times hit righties respectably properly aside from final season and through the smaller pattern dimension of the abbreviated 2020 marketing campaign.
This provides as much as a little bit of a curious match on the Cubs roster, given how the Cubs are nonetheless a little bit heavy on right-handed bats even after at this time’s signing of Cody Bellinger. Nevertheless, projected first base starter Michael Busch is each a lefty swinger and quick on MLB expertise, so including Cooper provides Chicago some platoon depth if Bellinger finally ends up taking part in heart area extra commonly than first base. Cooper additionally a great deal of proper area expertise, although he hasn’t performed the place since 2021.
There’s no threat for the Cubs in seeing what Cooper can present on a minor league deal, and the compulsory opt-out supplied to veteran gamers in minor league offers would enable either side to half methods earlier than the tip of Spring Coaching if the Cubs finally don’t see a spot for Cooper on the Opening Day roster. It’s a little stunning that Cooper couldn’t discover a assured contract, but it additionally speaks to the restricted market for first base-only gamers of their 30’s, and clearly Cooper’s subpar 2023 final season weighed heavier on the minds of entrance places of work than his stable observe report in earlier years.
The Brewers and Purple Sox had been publicly linked to Cooper’s market earlier this winter, although Milwaukee’s signing of Rhys Hoskins appeared to shut the door on Cooper’s possibilities of touchdown within the Badger State. Boston’s curiosity in Cooper was reportedly extra conditional, because the Purple Sox noticed Cooper as a backup plan in the event that they couldn’t signal their most well-liked selection within the still-available Adam Duvall. Speculatively, this might imply a deal between Duvall and the Purple Sox may very well be extra seemingly, if Boston is now a little bit extra inclined to up its provide to Duvall with Cooper off the board.
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