Ex-Mets’ Catcher Signs With NL Wild Card Competitor

A former Mets catcher has been picked up by a main competitor in the NL Wild Card race.

Apr 26, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido (3) looks up at his solo home run during the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets made waves last week when they announced that veteran catcher Tomas Nido was designated for assignment. 

Nido, who had been drafted by the Mets in 2012 and spent his entire professional baseball career with the organization, cleared waivers on Monday, which meant he was free to sign with another franchise. 

It wouldn't take long for one to scoop Nido up: Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation reported on Wednesday that Nido has agreed to a deal with the Chicago Cubs. As a corresponding move, fellow catcher Yan Gomes was DFA'd.

Sources: The Chicago Cubs are DFAing Yan Gomes and signing catcher Tomás Nido.

— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) June 19, 2024

Signing Nido makes a lot of sense for Chicago, as they've lacked production from their catchers all season long. The .175 batting average that Cubs catchers have had this season is the third-worst in the majors, while their .479 OPS is tied for the second-worst. In the 32 games Nido played for the Mets this year, he hit .229/.261/.361 with three home runs and eight RBI.

It isn’t likely that Nido’s offense will be a major difference-maker for Chicago, but it’s a clear upgrade for a club that's 7-9 in June and is currently in last place in the very tight NL Central.

Both Chicago and New York are in the middle of a congested NL Wild Card race; there are currently nine NL teams within two games of each other in the Wild Card standings. The Mets’ ongoing seven-game winning streak puts them at 35-37 on the season, while Chicago is one game behind them at 35-39. 

There’s still a lot of time for the Wild Card picture to become clearer, and while the Mets have established that they don’t need Nido to win, Chicago signing him could be just what they need to kickstart their own winning streak.