Chicago Cubs Add Much-Needed Depth With Former All-Star
The Chicago Cubs were busy on Sunday, signing not one, but two All-Star players.
The first was former NL MVP Cody Bellinger, who agreed to a three-year, $80 million pact to return to the Cubs.
Bellinger's deal was announced in the morning, but that didn't stop Chicago from signing another former All-Star in the evening.
On Sunday night, Miami Marlins reporter Craig Mish reported that Garrett Cooper -- a former member of the Marlins and San Diego Padres -- also signed with the Cubs. MLB Trade Rumors later indicated that it's a minor-league deal for Cooper, who was an NL All-Star with Miami in 2022.
Cooper, 33, was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2013 and made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2017. He was traded to the Marlins after the 2017 season and remained with Miami until the 2023 Trade Deadline, when he was shipped to the Padres.
Despite setting career highs with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs last year, Cooper was still available in free agency. That's not too surprising, however, given how slow the market has been for marquee players like Bellinger, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.
While his OPS has declined in each of the past three seasons, Cooper has been a quality hitter throughout his seven-year career with a .268/.337/.435 slash line (109 OPS+). He looks like a solid depth option for Chicago and could platoon with Michael Busch, Matt Mervis and/or Dominic Smith, all of whom bat left-handed (Cooper is right-handed).
Cooper's signing will be overshadowed by Bellinger's, but it's still a savvy pickup at a position of need for the Cubs. Chicago doesn't have many proven options at first base right now, so Cooper could end up being the best of the bunch.
