Right-handed reliever Jorge López has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Chicago Cubs, according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Patrick Mooney.
López, of course, recently made headlines for how the end of his time with the New York Mets played out. For those who may have missed it or forgotten, he launched a ball into the stands after being ejected from a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in late May. He then engaged in an eyebrow-raising post-game interview during which he expressed no remorse for his act. (There was also the matter of whether or not López intended to insult the Mets by describing them as the “worst team,” or if it was a miscommunication. López, for his part, claimed the latter on social media.)
To be fair to López, he’s endured a good deal of stress off the field in recent years. He required a stint on the injured list last summer to work through mental health matters. His son Mikael was born with two autoimmune diseases, familial Mediterranean fever and Crohn’s disease, and required a bone marrow transplant in 2021, according to Andy Martino of SNY.
López, 31, appeared in 28 games with the Mets prior to the dissolvement of that relationship. He compiled a 3.76 ERA (102 ERA+) and a 1.73 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 26 1/3 innings pitched.
The Cubs entered Wednesday with a 32-35 record on the season, putting them in third place in the National League Central, some seven games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago’s bullpen ranks 24th in the majors in ERA, and is currently without a number of notable contributors — that group includes Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather, and Yency Almonte.
For now, López will likely report to Triple-A Iowa before he can earn another look in Chicago’s big-league bullpen.
