Cubs taking chance on veteran first baseman

The Cubs have signed veteran first baseman Garrett Cooper, according to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald.  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 Sunday’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 30s 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.