Jorge Lopez has found a new MLB team after his unremarkable stint with the New York Mets in 2024. According to Will Sammon and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic on X, Lopez has signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.
The Mets had signed Lopez in December 2023, and he played 28 games for them this year, finishing eight. During his time with the Mets, the 2022 All-Star posted a 1-2 record with two saves and a 3.76 ERA.
Reliever Jorge Lopez has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs, league sources tell @PJ_Mooney and me.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) June 12, 2024
Despite his solid performance, Lopez was released by the Mets following an emotional outburst during a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 29. Frustrated by a check swing call, the 31-year-old argued with the umpire threw his glove into the stands, and stormed off the field. His post-game comments further strained his relationship with the franchise.
Just an overall hilarious sequence of events
Jorge Lopez allows an absolute tank to Shohei Ohtani
Then gets tossed by the THIRD BASE UMPIRE arguing a check swing that was clearly the correct call
And then he proceeds to toss his GLOVE into the standspic.twitter.com/BkB8C0U7AS
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) May 29, 2024
Lopez will now bolster the Cubs’ bullpen, which ranks 17th in the MLB with 16 saves. The Cubs, currently 33-35 and second in the NL Central, are just half a game behind the San Francisco Giants for the final Wild Card spot. Lopez, known for his 95.1 mph fastball, will face his former team, the Mets, on June 21.
