Chicago signed outfielder Michael Conforto to add depth to an increasingly crowded outfield and address a clear positional risk. Conforto previously performed well with the Mets before a down season, the lockout, and a shoulder injury caused him to miss 2022 and derail free agent leverage. He took a modest prove-it deal with the Giants for 2023, rebounded in 2024, then signed one-year with the Dodgers and won a ring. The expected deal with Chicago is likely modest or minor-league. Conforto offers a lefty bat that has hit left-handers recently and capable corner-outfield defense, but center field appears unlikely.
"Going back several years - heck, even into the 2014 draft, when the Cubs instead took Kyle Schwarber - the Cubs have reportedly had interest in Michael Conforto. He had been a very good player with the Mets before the combined impacts of a down season, the lockout, and an exceedingly ill-timed shoulder injury cost him what could've been a massive turn in free agency. Instead, he wound up not signing a deal at all after 2021, missed the entire 2022 season."
"First and foremost, the lefty-hitting Conforto has actually crushed fellow lefties the last two years, which (1) is something the Cubs have been looking for off the bench, but (2) might be a small sample fluke (for his career, Conforto has traditional splits). Second, Conforto is a capable defender in the corner outfield spots, even if no longer a plus one. I don't know that he can fill in out in center field anymore (hasn't played there since 2019), though."
Read at Bleacher Nation
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