It took a while for the Cubs to finally make a move amid a wild week in free agency, but they’ve finally made their first major-league signing of the winter. The Cubs are signing catcher Yan Gomes to a two-year, $13 million, sources tell the Sun-Times. The deal is pending a physical.
Gomes has long been considered one of the best pitch framers in baseball and should provide a calming presence for the team’s pitching staff. The 10-year backstop slashed .252/.301/.421 with 14 homers and 52 RBIs. He will also provide some power with at least 12 homers over his last four full seasons.
The signing of Gomes will likely lead to questions about the future of catcher Willson Contreras, who has yet to sign a contract extension. Gomes does serve as valuable insurance if the Cubs were to trade Contreras this offseason. But at a minimum, he provides the Cubs with an above-average backup.
Backup catcher was not an easy area for the Cubs to resolve last season. They went through eight backup catchers in 2021, including Austin Romine, Tony Wolters, P.J. Higgins, Jose Lobaton, Taylor Gushue, Robinson Chirinos, Tyler Payne and Erick Castillo.
“This year has been tough. A lot of backups went down, I don’t know why,” Contreras said before the last game of the season. “If [manager David Ross] is planning on giving me a little more rest, that’s going to be good for me too. Obviously, I’m a guy that wants to play every single day, but also understands that my body needs rest. Because catching nine innings every single day – night game, day game – it’s not easy.”
Contreras dealt with several injuries last season and both president Jed Hoyer and Ross have stated that they would like to reduce the two-time All-Star’s workload to help save his body. With the universal designated hitter expected to be coming to the National League next season, Contreras getting regular at-bats as the Cubs’ DH would not be out of the question.
