Cubs Sign Infamous Former Mets RHP Jorge López to Minors Deal

In their never-ending quest for inexpensive relief depth, the Cubs have added righty Jorge López on a minor league deal. That report comes via Will Sammon and Patrick Mooney of the Athletic, who added that López is expected to report to the Cubs’ Mesa facility to ramp up in hopes of making it back to the big leagues. Though he’s been considerably less than great throughout his career, the 31-year-old had an outstanding 2022 between the Orioles and Twins that saw him post a 2.54 ERA with 23 saves over 67 appearances.

He recently gained infamy for an incident with the Mets in which he compounded a poor outing by being ejected and throwing his glove into the stands. Things got even worse afterwards when it sounded like an upset López, who was speaking to reporters without the aid of a translator, called the Mets the “worst team in the whole f—ing MLB.” Even though he would have been perfectly justified in that sentiment because the Mets are a scourge upon baseball and our human existence in general, López later clarified that was referring to himself as a bad teammate.

With the horse already well out of the barn and his performance not offering enough to justify keeping him around, the Mets designated him for assignment and then released him. As such, they’re on the hook for his salary minus the prorated amount of the league minimum should the Cubs promote him. That’s not necessarily a longshot given how their bullpen has struggled so far this season.

It’s also worth noting for anyone who’s unfamiliar with Lopez’s situation that he took some time away to deal with his mental health last season and he has a son who is awaiting a transplant as he battles both Mediterranean fever and Crohn’s. Regardless of how things work out for Lopez in the Cubs or over the rest of his career, I hope his little boy is able to push through his health struggles.