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Cubs Surprisingly Sign Veteran Former All-Star to Bolster Outfield Depth

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI
By Michael Brauner | Last updated Feb 23, 2026 9:25 AM ET

The Chicago Cubs have made a significant overnight signing on Sunday evening in the wee hours of Monday morning to address their depth issue in the outfield.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post Chicago acquired veteran outfielder Michael Conforto, however it was later confirmed by Jesse Rogers of ESPN that it's a minor league deal. The Cubs do not have a spot on the 40-man roster currently, however Shelby Miller is expected to be transferred to the 60-day IL, which would open a slot if needed.

Conforto has a ton of big league experience, including 138 games with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025. However, he struggled immensely en route to the worst season of his MLB career.

Conforto was dreadful for Dodgers last year

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After arriving to Los Angeles coming off a solid second season with the San Francisco Giants, the 32-year-old's performance fell off a bit of a cliff. Slashing .199/.305/.333 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI, Conforto accounted for a bWAR of -0.7 and was left off the postseason roster as a result.

This was coming off a 2024 season where he was productive for San Francisco, posting a slash line of .237/.309/.450, clubbing 20 home runs and 66 RBI for a 1.3 bWAR over 130 games played. Why exactly things went downhill for Conforto so quickly is unknown, but it obviously impacted his market this winter.

Nonetheless, Chicago is not signing Conforto to a starting job. More than likely, they see him as a best-case fourth platoon outfielder who provides a little bit of insurance if they do not feel great about their depth there.

Cubs acquiring Conforto is latest sign about outfield concern

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Chicago has made several savvy outfield moves to add competition with top prospect Kevin Alcántara , including signing both Chas McCormick and Dylan Carlson to minor league deals. However, at this point, Conforto likely moves ahead of both in the pecking order.

For whatever reason, the Cubs clearly are not comfortable with Alcántara being the regular fourth outfielder without legitimate competition. And this being a minor league deal makes for an interesting battle for the rest of spring between McCormick, Carlson, Alcántara, and Conforto.

Regardless, it's a significant acquisition for a Chicago team that seems determined to improve its outfield depth.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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