Free agent outfielder Michael Conforto has agreed to a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs, giving him an opportunity to crack the team’s lineup during spring training.
Conforto is coming off a disappointing season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he hit just .199 with 12 home runs, and 36 RBIs across 138 games. He becomes the latest minor league invite to vie for a spot in Chicago’s outfield group joining Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick.
Pete Crow-Armstrong figures to be the team’s everyday cetnrefielder. However beyond that, the Cubs have some fluidity in terms of their defensive alignment. Seiya Suzuki figures to get a good deal of reps in the outfield, but will also spend some time at DH. Matt Shaw and Ian Happ have the versatility to play multiple positions and could be shuffled around throughout the 2026 campaign. Which leaves Kevin Alcantara and Justin Dean as the other candidates to fill the void in right field left by Kyle Tucker’s departure.
While Conforto would need to regain the form he showed between 2017-2019 while he was with the Mets to cement his spot as an everyday outfielder, his veteran leadership could help a team with average age of just 26 years old.
Things haven’t been the same for the 32 year old ever since his shoulder surgery which caused him to miss the entire 2022 MLB season. Following two up and down seasons with the San Francisco Giants, he tried to catch on with the Dodgers, but wound up posting a negative WAR (-0.7) for the first time in his Major League career.
As such, his free agent market never materialized over the winter, leading him to take a minor league deal with the Cubs. It’s a low risk, high reward signing for Chicago as they look to dethrone the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central this season.
The Cubs finished 92-70 in 2025, 5 games back of the Brewers before defeating the Padres in the Wildcard round of the playoffs. From there however, they would bow out to Milwaukee in 5 games during the NLDS in a contentious series.
Up next for Chicago is a 3:05pm ET spring training game vs. the Kansas City Royals on Monday. The club has yet to announce when Conforto will make his team debut.
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