Chicago Cubs sign veteran catcher Yan Gomes to two-year contract

The hot stove is smoking as teams participate in an early offseason scramble to sign free agents ahead of the non-tender deadline, at which point we may see a lockout. It appears that front offices around baseball have tacitly agreed that this means sign early and sign often in terms of free agents, and the Cubs have made a few small moves, but now appear to be gearing up for more.

On Tuesday morning, Jeff Passan confirmed that the Cubs were in agreement with a two-year, $13 million deal with veteran catcher Yan Gomes.

Gomes, who is currently 34, has made the rounds with a variety of clubs, but spent the bulk of his ten-year career in Cleveland. In 2021 he was traded from the Nationals to the Athletics, and his overall season record was a line of .252/.301/.421, a 93 wRC+, and 1.6 fWAR. His career line is .247/.299/.421 with a 91 wRC+ and a 16.1 fWAR.

Obviously, the catcher role is a defense-first position and Gomes has been solid in the role throughout his career. With a career caught-stealing percentage of 33%, and a DRS of 5 last season, he’ll certainly prove useful for the Cubs behind the dish.

The signing of Gomes does, unfortunately, seem to signal that a reunion between the Cubs and Willson Contreras is very unlikely at this point.