The spring training transaction wire is a busy list that can be hard to follow, but every now and then a familiar name turns up for New York Mets fans. That was definitely the case when former Mets outfielder Michael Conforto signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs that comes with a spring training invite, according to Brian Murphy of MLB.com via Jon Heyman of the MLB Network.
Conforto was once a staple in the Mets lineup and an above-average offense player, but he’s had a rough go of it in the last couple of seasons. The 33-year old outfielder entered last year with a career slash line of .251/.348/.456, according to Murphy, and he had a decent enough season in 2024 with the San Francisco Giants as he hit 20 home runs in 130 games.
Last year he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that didn’t go well at all. He signed a one-year deal for $17 million, but Conforto’s slash line was .199/.305/.333 and he hit just 12 home runs with 36 RBIs in one of the worst seasons of his career. The Dodgers kept him in the lineup through the regular season, but Conforto was left off the postseason roster in LA’s World Series run.
There are some positives buried in those metrics, however, according to Murphy. His walk rate remains high, and ranks in the 82nd percentile in chase rate, and his bat speed remains well above average as well.
Conforto will face some steep obstacles with the Cubs given that his defensive metrics are subpar. He made 122 starts in left field for the Dodgers last year, but his outs above average number was -8. Shoulder surgery in 2022 robbed him of much of his defensive capabilities, so he’ll have to hit to make the lineup in Chicago.
The outfielder has fallen a long way in the last couple of seasons, and he's now joining the boatload of players who compete for minor league deals with spring-training invites. He still as a shot given his bat speed and ability to control the strike zone, but this is a make-or-break year for the former Mets outfielder.
Conforto provided Mets fans with plenty of exciting moments during his early seasons and in the prime of his career, however. He made the All-Star team in 2017,hit his 100th home run for the team in 2019, and Conforto slugged a pair of home runs in Game 4 of the 2015 World Series against the Kansas City Royals.