Tomas

Nido

Nido was released by the Cubs at the end of August, and it took a bit to find his new home. The 30-year-old will just be organizational depth, and if the Tigers sneak into the postseason, he won’t be eligible as he joined the team after August 31.

Nido had been stationed on the Cubs’ 10-day injured list since July 25 due to a right knee sprain. He’s now free to sign elsewhere as extra catching depth if he’s able to find an opportunity to his liking.

No word yet on just how long the Cubs expect the 30-year-old backstop to be sidelined for. The Cubs selected the contract of Christian Bethancourt from Triple-A Iowa to add depth behind the plate on Friday.

Nido had spent his entire 12-year pro career with the Mets until he was released Monday after hitting .229/.261/.361 in 90 plate appearances this season. The 30-year-old is a lifetime .214/.251/.313 hitter in 895 plate appearances. He’ll replace Yan Gomes as the backup to Miguel Amaya.

The end can come quickly sometimes. The usually solid Gomes actually performed a little better than his career norms at age 35 last season, but he’s really slipped both offensively and defensively this year. Nido won’t help with the offense, but he is an excellent defender and he might cut into Miguel Amaya’s playing time some.

Nido was designated for assignment last week and went through waivers unclaimed, so the Mets officially released him, He’s now free to sign for another team, and while a few clubs like the Rockies and Phillies have recently suffered injuries at catcher, it’s unclear if there will be much interest in a 30-year-old who is a career .214/.251/.313 hitter at the MLB level.

Nido is now off the 40-man roster and the active roster, and it clears a spot for Francisco Alvarez. Nido could attract interest on the waiver wire, but if he goes unclaimed he’ll likely report back to Triple-A Syracuse.

Nido has now started five of the last six games behind the dish for the Mets and has clearly become the team’s starting catcher with Francisco Alvarez on the IL. He’s gone just 8-of-40 (.200) on the season with one home run, 10 strikeouts, and two walks in 16 games, which makes him tough to roster in many fantasy formats.

Nido joins New York’s active roster ahead of Saturday’s game in Los Angeles as emergency catching depth behind Omar Narváez with Francisco Alvarez heading to the injured list with a left thumb sprain. The 30-year-old backstop holds a .557 OPS in 274 career games in the big leagues since 2017.

No real surprises here, despite all three having extensive major league experience. It’s likely that all three will wind up opting out to explore their options on the free agent market.