Former Cleveland catcher designated for assignment by Cubs

It appears that a former Cleveland backstop has fallen out of favor with the Chicago Cubs. According to a report, Yan Gomes is being designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs, as they are signing former New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido, who was recently released by the only organization he has been a member of.

Gomes has been a mostly serviceable offensive catcher for the Cubs since signing with Chicago in 2022. Slashing .253/.293/.390 with 32 doubles and 18 home runs in 202 games, Gomes was able to provide more than adequate offensive production for a position where it is very hard to come by. Unfortunately, that did not continue in 2024, as Gomes saw his slash line drop to .154/.179/.242 with just two doubles and two home runs. With it being highly unlikely for the almost 37-year-old Gomes to rebound offensively, it is not hard to understand why the Cubs are changing things up at this time.

An integral member of the mid-2010's Cleveland baseball teams, Gomes was part of the 2016 team that nearly captured the franchise's first World Series title since 1948, before losing to his most recent team in seven games. Gomes slashed .250/.296/.426 in 906 games for Cleveland, with 117 doubles, 83 home runs, and 295 runs driven in during that time.

Cleveland would trade Gomes to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Jefry Rodriguez, Daniel Johnson, and Andruw Monasterio following the 2018 season. Gomes spent two seasons with Washington, winning a World Series with the Nationals over the Houston Astros in 2019. Washington would end up trading Gomes to the Oakland Athletics during the 2021 season after putting together one of his better slash lines in his career (.271/.323/.454 in 63 games). Gomes would then end up signing with Chicago following the conclusion of the 2021 season.

Even though his performance at the plate has noticeably declined this season, this may not be the end of the road for Gomes. Outside of a select few, the state of the catching position is pretty rough. There is a scenario that could see Gomes catch on with another ball club with the hope that a change of scenery could do him some good. But if this is the end of his time in the majors, Gomes has had a pretty successful career, all things considered. A couple of trips to the World Series, winning a title in Washington, an All-Star selection, and a Silver Slugger Award are nothing to scoff at for someone who has never been considered one of the game's top backstops.