Cubs Acquire Nicky Lopez from Rockies for Cash

In a move that I can’t say I understand, the Cubs have acquired utility infielder Nicky Lopez from the Rockies in exchange for cash considerations. Lopez is a favorite of Craig Counsell because he’s a grindy feller, which is why the Cubs have had so many flirtations with him. Lopez was a non-roster invite to spring training last year, then played sparingly for them in the bigs in the late spring. He was released to pursue other opportunities, after which he came back on a minor league deal in August.

Lopez is on a minors deal now as well, so the Cubs would have to make a roster move to bring him up. They can make room on the 40-man by moving Porter Hodge to the 60-day IL, and Scott Kingery can be optioned to clear a space on the active roster. I just don’t really see how that would be anything but a lateral move, unless Lopez can pitch in relief.

He’s a career .245/.310/.311 hitter over nearly 2,400 plate appearances, and he had a really big 2021 with the Royals, but that was the only year in which his offense was even close to average. Kingery has been used almost exclusively as a pinch-runner, but I don’t envision Lopez offering much more than that. Guess we’ll see.