10:20am: The Cubs have made the moves official. 9:55am: The Cubs are making a change behind the plate, signing veteran catcher to a big league contract and designating for a signment, as first reported . Nido, an ACES client, was released by the Mets on Monday after being designated for a signment last week. The Mets are on the hook for the majority of this years $2.1MM salary. The Cubs will only owe Nido the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. The 30-year-old Nido inked a two-year, $3.7MM contract prior to the 2023 season, buying out his final two seasons of arbitration eligibility. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster last season following a dismal .125/.153/.125 start through 61 plate appearances but chose to accept a Triple-A a signment due to the fact that electing free agency wouldve required him to forfeit the remainder of the guaranteed money on his contract. Nido was selected back to the big leagues this season when Francisco Alvarez hit the injured list with a thumb injury that required surgery. During his most recent stint with the Mets, Nido surpa sed five years of MLB service time, which allowed him to reject his latest outright a signment in favor of free agency while still retaining the remainder of his salary. He batted .229/.261/.361 through 90 plate appearances with the Mets this season. That level of production is par for the course for Nido, a career .214/.251/.313 hitter in 895 trips to the plate at the big league level. Offense has never been the focal point of Nidos game, however. Hes an high-end defensive backstop who draws plus grades for his framing and Joakim Nordstrom Jersey pitch-blocking, coupling those skills with a career 21% caught-stealing rate thats right in line with this years league average. Even Nidos lackluster 2024 output at the plate or his similarly uninspiring career batting line would be an upgrade over what the 36-year-old Gomes has mustered this season. Gomes was near league-average at the plate just last season (.267/.315/.408, 10 homers, 95 wRC+) but has cratered with a career-worst .157/.179/.242 batting line in 96 plate appearances this season. Gomes fanned in just 18% of his plate appearances with the 2022-23 Cubs and entered 2024 with a career 23.1% mark in the majors, but hes whiffed a ma sive 36 times this season (37.5%). Like Nido, Gomes has a strong defensive reputation, but the numbers dont bear that out this year. Hes thwarted just three of the 24 runners whove attempted to steal against him (12.5%) well shy of his excellent 32% career mark. The Brazilian-born backstops once-premium framing numbers are below-average for a second straight season, meanwhile, and Statcast also pegs him below-average at blocking pitches in the dirt in 2024. As is the case with Nido, Gomes is playing out the final season of a guaranteed contract. Chicago signed him to a two-year, $13MM pact in the 2021-22 offseason. Gomes performance last year made it a straightforward call for the team to exercise a $6MM club option (a net $5MM decision, given the options $1MM buyout). Even Gomes detractors couldnt have reasonably predicted a decline of this magnitude, however. Gomes struggles are a major reason that Chicago backstops have been the third-worst in all of baseball at the plate, leading only the White Sox and Marlins in that regard. The Cubs will still be on the hook for the remainder of Gomes $6MM salary once he inevitably becomes a free agent. (No team is going to trade for or claim whats left on the contract). Once hes released, Gomes will be free to sign with any club. A new team would only owe him the league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster. That sum would be subtracted from what the Cubs owe him through seasons end. Andrei Svechnikov Jersey