The Cubs have signed veteran first baseman Garrett Cooper, according to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald (X link). It is a minor league pact for Cooper, who will receive an invitation to Chicago’s big league spring camp.
The 33-year-old hit .251/.304/.419 with 17 home runs over 457 combined plate appearances with the Marlins and Padres in 2023, translating to a 96 wRC+. Cooper made decent contact when he did make contact, though his strikeout and walk rates were below the league average. His production picked up a bit after he was dealt to San Diego at the trade deadline, in a swap which ended Cooper’s six-year run as a Miami regular.
A down year heading into free agency was an unfortunate outcome for Cooper, who had a 117 wRC+ (from 39 homers and a .274/.350/.444 slash line) over 1273 PA for the Marlins from 2019-22 and was even an All-Star in 2022. Injuries have long plagued Cooper and frequently kept him on the injured list, so there’s some irony that he struggled during the healthiest year of his pro career. Apart from a minimal 10-day IL stint due to an inner ear infection, Cooper managed to stay on the field, yet in 2023 lost playing time due to a lack of production against right-handed pitching.
Cooper’s splits were pretty drastic last year, with a .904 OPS against lefties and a .666 OPS against righties. The right-handed batter had naturally posted better numbers against southpaws over his career, though Cooper had always hit righties respectably well apart from last season and during the smaller sample size of the abbreviated 2020 campaign.
This adds up to a bit of a curious fit on the Cubs roster, given how the Cubs are still a little heavy on right-handed bats even after today’s signing of Cody Bellinger. However, projected first base starter Michael Busch is both a lefty swinger and short on MLB experience, so adding Cooper gives Chicago some platoon depth if Bellinger ends up playing center field more regularly than first base. There also isn’t a set option at the DH spot, if the Cubs end up giving Christopher Morel an extended look as a third baseman. Cooper has a good deal of right field experience, though he’s a likelier to stick to first base or DH duty since he hasn’t played in the outfield since 2021.
There’s no risk for the Cubs in seeing what Cooper can provide on a minor league deal, and the obligatory opt-out provided to veteran players in minor league deals would allow both sides to part ways before the end of Spring Training if the Cubs ultimately don’t see a spot for Cooper on the Opening Day roster. It is a little surprising that Cooper couldn’t find a guaranteed contract, yet it also speaks to the limited marketplace for first base-only players in their 30’s, and obviously Cooper’s subpar 2023 last season weighed heavier on the minds of front offices than his solid track record in previous years.
The Brewers and Red Sox were publicly linked to Cooper’s market earlier this winter, though Milwaukee’s signing of Rhys Hoskins seemed to close the door on Cooper’s chances of landing in the Badger State. Boston’s interest in Cooper was reportedly more conditional, as the Red Sox saw Cooper as a backup plan if they couldn’t sign their preferred choice in the still-available Adam Duvall. Speculatively, this could mean a deal between Duvall and the Red Sox could be more likely, if Boston is now a little more inclined to up its offer to Duvall with Cooper off the board.
Cubbies!
Padres would have had Cooper back…ON A MINOR LEAGUE DEAL?!
Padres needed a first baseman/veteran dh type.
Pads organization is a Dumpster fire right now!
Cronenworth has 1B locked down with Xander at 2B and Machado at 3B. Why would Cooper want a MiLB deal with a team with no realistic shot at playing time let alone likely to make roster.
Again you keep saying this without putting any thought to of it makes sense for the player to even entertain signing there
Bench depth.
Can play DH and 1st.
Pads do not have a full time DH.
Signs on minor league deal with the Cubs, so he is not guaranteed a spot with the Cubs ether.
Full time dh has never been something the padres use. They literally use that spot to rest regulars
Cooper doesn’t move the needle Tow. They have competition in SP that will yield better than Coop. I’d rather have no team at all than the mediocre one you aspire to.
@Tow, Cubs have Michael Busch as their 1B right now if Belli plays CF. Playing 1B and not DHing gives this guy a shot at playing and proving himself for a deal in 2025.
Guys signing MiLB deals are looking for best opportunity to keep their careers going. Not be potential depth options to please fans.
@Tigers Padres have a roster need and multiple open spaces on the 40 man roster. The Cubs do not.
@Brew
Moving the needle is sometimes adding depth. The pads obviously lack depth.
Ryan O’hearn ended up being a really nice depth move. 2023 O’s were much better for having him and Hicks for Pennies.
Agreed Brian. He would’ve been a great depth piece at 1B/DH/Occasional OF..especially on a minor league deal.
Seemed like a natural fit to me.
I like Garrett Cooper. He’s a good 1B. Spencer Torkelson is playing 1B full time and the Tigers have plenty of DHs and RFs. MIN, WSN, or SEA might have been a better suiter.
@jim. Cooper probably saw a better opportunity with Cubs, plus the Pads are looking at other options. They won’t go into the season without depth in place for 1b, perhaps a better option than Cooper, so no need for Tow to use this example of them being cheap or not trying.
I’m confident that the Pads will add a depth piece behind Cronenworth.
Sure does seem like Mervis may not be in the Cubs’ plans anymore. Wonder if Preller could buy low on him..
@jimbob. Trade market most likely. I very much get your points and a month ago I thought the Pads would sign more FAs by now. But clearly AJ didn’t want to bring back a guy like Cooper until ST competition played out, and that’s what Shildt has also been saying, so that’s what happening. I also don’t think it’s out of the question at this point that they sign a mid-range vet position player in the $10M AVV range, mostly like OFer but maybe 1B/DH type.
In the past few years we’ve come to expect the Pads to just buy FAs to fill out roster and depth pieces rather than draw from prospects and MiLB signings, like many other teams do. I can easily see now that Merrill and perhaps Marsee or Pauley will be on the OD roster. Iriarte as well.
I think Cooper had a couple of things going against with the Pads. He’s a right hand bat on a team In need of Rh bats and would’ve been direct competition to Cronenworth at 1b. I don’t think they wanted that, rather protect Cro a little and hope for a bounce back season
Super duper!
Even when he sits, he’ll be putting cheese on a Ritz
Badger State??? I thought Wisconsin is the Cheese State? I’ve never been, but I will bet there is more cheese lying around Wisconsin than badgers running around willy nilly.
Trey Mancini part 2
Mancini cost 15 million for 2 years and didn’t last 1. How is this anything like that? If he’s no good they just shake hands and walk away.
It’s low risk for sure. Although it does feel like a waste of time. His only shot is a platoon righty 1B to play against lefties, and he doesn’t even project to be better than Wisdom in that regard. So unless Jed has a trade on the line for Wisdom?
I like this move. Garrett Cooper is generally on teams I don’t watch as much. That being said, Cooper always seems to get a hit when I am watching. The guy’s fully trained, inexpensive, low maintenance and always available. You can do a lot worse than Garrett Cooper on a depth move.
Same was true for me what I watched the Marlins it seemed like Brian Anderson was always on fire. Solid signing for the Cubs. Here’s my question for Cub fans: Have the additions of Cooper, Bellinger, and Busch signaled the death knell for Matt Mervis in this organization?
No, if he out plays everyone he’ll get a shot but the org definitely wasn’t going to rely on him to be the guy after last year.
It just means he’s going to have to hit to play. Busch still has to prove his worth as well. Cooper seems like insurance in case neither of the youngsters is ready to grab that spot.
CJ Cron has more upside. Might be cheaper too. Did you see his 2022 stats??
Crazy to go from an $8 million dollar deal last season to a minor league spring invite deal one year later. Guy seems like a legit major leaguer. Must have a bad agent.
Just like Matt Chapman he had a lackluster platform year when he was healthier than ever. Tough sell. He should be able to hit his way onto the roster.
I’m certainly not disagreeing. It’s crazy how teams manipulate statistics and narratives to lowball some solid players who have down seasons in their years before free agency..
Now, with that being said, I think it’s a tough sell for the bat only types, when they end up having down years when they need it the most.
I know Cooper is capable of playing multiple positions, but I think he’s also pretty bad at almost all of them..lol
Still, he had to have been holding out for more playing time, because I find it really hard to believe the Braves didn’t want to try and sign him as a platoon/bench option in LF for Kelenic.
He could have been the first bat off the bench, taken some at-bats and spot starts for some of their regulars or for Ozuna at DH, and then formed an excellent platoon partner with Kelenic.
Obviously, AA isn’t going to say he didn’t AT LEAST TRY to improve their bench from the likes of AAAA types like Jordan Luplow, Eli White, JP Martinez, Forrest Wall, and Luis Guillorme, who was once pretty decent.
He did say that he tried to go after a few key bench pieces, but that it was very difficult when you have a team that’s basically set at every position. He doubled down on that statement when he also said that players already know Snitker and the Braves really prefer to almost ALWAYS play their starters for as many games as they can.
Clearly that doesn’t leave very many at-bats or even chances for their bench guys, so I could definitely see why it could turn-off guys that want more of a chance to possibly earn regular playing time and at-bats..
Still, the Braves bench is pretty dang bad, and Cooper’s bat would have been an absolute advantage for their squad.
I REALLY hope Alex went after him at some point this offseason, and I hope he was telling the truth..lol Maybe it’ll be easier to acquire someone that just wants out of their losing situation at the deadline and just wants to join a contender, even though he won’t play all that often.
The Braves lineup has enough juice that they can afford an injury, but if they have to replace a couple starters for any significant time, it’s highly possible they could struggle with their lack of quality depth. That’s especially everywhere on the corners!!
Cubs are really doing everything they can to make Matt Mervis’s place on the 1B depth chart a double digit number.
Seriously it’s like he’s not even in their plans anymore
It’s amazing how he went from Organizational darling to leper in less than 100 Major League AB’s.
@uncle id agree if you told me they signed both of these guys at the start of the offseason. But, I’d never believe the contract terms. I think this is more the cubs striking while the irons hot on these guys. Id like to believe they still have a spot for Mervis.
Only if he resurrects his 2022 self. A lot of people said at the time he was gonna come back to earth with a thud, and he did. Imo Cubs are betting against him with these signings.
Cooper actually has pretty strong Statcast metrics in 2023. Had some bad luck. Wouldn’t be surprised if he led the Cubs in 1B starts in 2024z
Pretty surprised he was only able to land a minor league deal. I know corner bats are a dime a dozen these days, but he’s got a decent track record of MLB production under his belt. I’d certainly rather have him on my roster than Isiah Kiner-Falefa (sorry, Jays fans), versatility be damned.
I would stick with IKF. Gotta disagree there.
Actually, the more I think about it, I might too—but not for (somewhere in the realm of) 7 million dollars more. That’s wild!
Kinda surprised. They have Busch to try then can pivot back to Mervis for a second chance if Busch doesn’t hit. A simple swap send one down then call up the other. Bellinger to first with Tauchman in center works too if they don’t have someone else to try. I’ve seen enough of Wisdom yet it’s hard to believe Cooper would be better at first than he would be too. Would have thought a fifth OF with MLB experience would have been picked up rather than Cooper.
WTF? At least he’s RH. Maybe the Wisdom experiment is finally over if he becomes a platoon with Busch and Belli stays in CF.
Talk about bad timing
Wow, for a replacement level player this guy can’t even score a low MLB contract.
I hope he gets selected, the guy still has a lot of game left.
Cooper is the exact kind of player CLE should have already signed to be their DH. I mean if they can’t even afford Garrett Cooper, then it’s time to file bankruptcy.
Cleveland is probably banking on that young prospect they got from Tampa for Civale at last year deadline. I would say Brandon Belt makes sense for them, but they have shown they won’t spend this offseason.
Does this mean they’re not signing Belli??
I like this signing.
32 days till opening day. Gonna be fun.
I’d rather have Cooper over Alonso. The fact that he didn’t get a major league deal just goes to show how clueless these MLB GMs really are. Cooper is a great hitter that is extremely undervalued. I also feel the same way about CJ Cron. Why is Ji-man Choi in camp when we can major league calibur players on the cheap? Or even worse, why would the Blue Jays sign Vogelbach over guys like Cooper and Cron? It makes no sense
It amazes me that Vogelbach and Tellez both keep getting deals. They’re one dimensional and not even among the better players in that one dimension.
“I’d rather have Cooper over Alonso.”
I know you’re a troll but at least be believable.
Surprised about him only minor league deal!
Yeah, can’t believe he couldn’t get a major league deal with some dogcrap bottom-feeder….
Really Rockies, mariners, angels, nationals, athletics, guardians, padres, white Sox, or maybe even Yankees depending on rizzo’s health? That’s sad, might not be the best baseball player, but he’s decent and can fill in for teams needing a first basemen or even a backup 1b/dh type player and he can’t even get but a minir league deal? He’s onr player id be surprised if if he doesn’t break camp with the cubbies. He will be a good guy for them to have if Busch, mervis, wisdom, morel, etc. don’t light the world on fire. But having bellinger, it’ll be harder for him to get any type of playing time compared to some other teams
I agree w/ everyone, this dude shoulda been able to get a major league deal from SOMEONE. Maybe, like Bellinger, he just really wanted to play for the Cubs.
I like the fit. Mervis and Bush are both LH young hitters, Cooper is a perfect fit against tough LH pitchers. He can play 1B and Wisdom can DH against LHers then Mervis and Bush in those spots against RHers. OR maybe he simply replaces Wisdom, either way this is a great get on a minor league deal. Jed has played this winter really well.
Odds are Cooper sits in AAA unless Busch falls flat on his face.
I’m not sure what “everyone” is thinking but the facts are
1.) putting Busch in a platoon role early in his career is stupid
2.) adding Cooper would require an additional move to an already full and in need of a move 40 man roster.
3.) it would require even more finagling to fit him onto the active roster.
4.) I don’t see how Cooper and Wisdom (although Wisdom might get traded to open up the 40 man roster) can occupy the roster at the same time. We only have so many bench spots and Wisdom and Cooper would be considered first base/dh guys.
For Cooper to make the Cubs he will need:
To mash in spring training
Morel and Busch to fail
Tauchman to fail
Canario to get optioned to AAA
A trade of Wisdom/Madrigal/Mastrobuoni/Tauchman
Can he hit his way onto the Cubs, sure, he has a nice track record of success at the big league level but I would say the odds are not in his favor unless several key factors are met.
I hope Cooper is a replacement for Wisdom. They need to clear a 40 man spot to sign Bellinger, so let’s hope they send Wisdom to Colorado or Oakland and let Cooper at 1B and Canario in CF fight for the platoon spot (with Bellinger playing 1B if Canario starts).
He made decent contact when he made contact. He was good when he was good. Another Polishukism.
Didn’t they sign Dominic Smith a week earlier?
Ruh roh. Like 2 ladies showing to the same gala w the same outfit. Awk-ward.
I definitely laughed at this comment @Dumpster Divin Theo.
Cooper had a .909 ops versus lefties last year. Huge split. Looks like he may get the first crack to platoon with Bush at 1b. I’m liking this low risk signing.
Split. Crack. Bush. Is this a 12 yr old Bingo card? If so you’ve got a winner
Maybe Chapman as well, a prove it minor league deal to give Wisdigal a little push over there at third.
Bum
With all of the 1B they keep signing it sure seems like:
Belli is going to play a lot of CF
Hopefully the Wisdom era has come to it’s inevitable conclusion
I couldn’t be happier
With the Cubs supposedly teaching Caissie to play 1B, Why Smith?
Morel has looked pretty solid at 3B. Great footwork and throws in a small sample but I like the progress.
Looks like the final product is here now, I can’t see any more moves.
Being White Sox Fan for eternity & will remain one forever I will say though the with the signing the of Bellinger, I’d have to put the Cubs at the top of the NL central at end of season. No don’t I live in Chicago or Illinois have only been there twice for 2 sons graduating from Naval Academy, plus I’ve lived in a state 1200 moles away my whole life. I discovered White Sox baseball 52 years ago on a A.M. radio station in my state. Been hooked since. But looking at Cubs roster from top to bottom they really look to be the best in NL Central for 2024. I don’t give a rats potoie if they do or not either…just commenting
Nice comment. Great Lakes training center, thank you for your son’s service!
Rh hitter for the lefties not to bad of a pickup if he makes it
Lordy, a gracious and savvy Pale Hosers fan! Your comments are well put.
Sorry for your team’s eternal dilemma of bad ownership and front office blunders.
However, please get a bunch of cats to take care of those 1200 moles.
Herding cats, gotta love that conundrum
Possible Wisdom trade incoming? One can dream.
As long as Wisdom is relegated to a bench role, I’ll take it. He cannot be the everyday third baseman this year though…
Pauly-You spelled DFA wrong.
I can’t believe I missed this signing.
As for people surprised by Cooper getting a MiLB deal. He’s 33 and injury-prone. No surprise for many Marlins fans.
Good luck Cubs fans…assuming he makes the roster…assuming he stays healthy to be around for the final roster decisions.
Cooper is pretty low on the pecking order. Bellinger, Busch, Mervis and even godawful Wisdom can play 1B. Besides, as you mentioned the guy will probably get injured during Spring Training haha!
Maybe the Cubs should hold onto his potential competition for the roster spot. Cooper may tough it out through that. With the Marlins, they kept waiting for him to be healthy for several years, so they never would grab someone to compete for his role, essentially giving him job security. He ended up taking his annual leave regularly. However, when the Marlins signed Gurriel last year, miraculously Cooper played most of the season, and played through injuries and pain for the first time in his career.
Take his security away, and he may do something. A true kind of lol!