Cubs sign ex-Mets catcher Tomas Nido, DFA Yan Gomes

The Mets won't have to wait too long to be reunited with old friend Tomas Nido, as the backstop has officially signed with the Cubs, who are hosting the Amazins at Wrigley Field this weekend.

To accommodate Nido, the Cubs designated catcher Yan Gomes for assignment.

Nido, 30, is in the second season of the two-year, $3.7 million deal he signed with the Mets prior to the 2023 season, but he has spent a large chunk of that contract in the Minors after being outrighted off the 40-man roster and accepting an assignment to Triple-A midway through last season – an assignment he accepted because electing free agency would’ve meant forfeiting his contract salary.

So, after DFA’ing and releasing Nido on Monday, the Mets are on the hook for most of his remaining salary on that deal, minus the pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum for any time he spends with the Cubs or elsewhere in the bigs.

Nido played 32 games with the Mets this year after Francisco Alvarez was hurt, slashing .229/.261/.361 with three home tuns in 90 playe appearances. He is just a career .214/.253/.313 hitter in 306 games over parts of eight seasons in Queens, but is noted as strong defensively behind the plate.

He will be an upgrade in both realms over Gomes, who slashed .154/.179/.242 in 34 games with the Cubbies and ranked near the bottom of most defensive metrics for catchers this year – just one year after he slashed .267/.315/.408 with 10 homers and 63 RBI in 116 games as Chicago’s top backstop.

The Cubs have gotten dismal production behind the plate overall, as the now 36-year-old Gomes and second-year man Miguel Amaya have combined to slash .175/.221/.258 with four home runs and 70 strikeouts in 260 plate appearances.