Garrett Cooper came up to bat in the first inning of Friday’s split-squad spring game against the Seattle Mariners. With two men on and a 0-1 count, he extended his arms and drove a ball over the right-field fence. The three-run home run was his first in a Chicago Cubs uniform. It was his only hit of the day, but that one swing accounted for 1/3 of the Cubs’ total runs in the game.
Cooper is having a wonderful spring thus far, batting .300 in the four games he’s appeared in. He signed a 1-year minor league deal with the Cubs, including a non-roster invite to spring camp. Previously, Cooper spent time in Miami with the Marlins, where he was an All-Star in 2022. Last year, he was traded to the San Diego Padres at the deadline but could not help them crawl out of their hole. He was granted free agency and now is here with the Cubs.
Options were available for Cooper before he made his decision. Reportedly, it came down to the Cubs and the Boston Red Sox. The Chicago Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro was there when Cooper answered his reason for choosing Chicago over other potential suitors.
Garrett Cooper Sees Chicago As Best Chance To Make MLB Roster
Acknowledging how weird the market is, Cooper knew just getting an opportunity at this point was a blessing. He said there are players still sitting at home who have no reason not to be a part of someone’s camp. However, when it came to Boston and Chicago, Cooper felt his best chance to make a big-league roster was with the Cubs.
Interesting. Cooper felt he had a better chance to make the Cubs than the Red Sox. At the beginning of his career, he was an outfielder who could also play first base. But now, Cooper is more of a first baseman who can also play the outfield. Of course, the designated hitter spot in the lineup suits him well, too.
However, the Cubs had already moved to trade for Michael Busch and are committed to his playing time at first base. Plus, the Cubs are stocked with top-tier outfield play as far down as AA Tennessee. Cooper had to know he was signing up for a reserve role when coming to Chicago.
Boston has 24-year-old and former first-round draft pick Triston Casas as their everyday first baseman. The Red Sox are very high on him being a crucial part of their future. They also signed Tyler O’Neil to help bolster the depth of the outfield. But the Red Sox could have regularly used Cooper’s bat as part of their lineup. He could have easily made their roster, so really, why Chicago?
Cooper Chose The Cubs To Win
He’s still getting used to his new barrings and doesn’t want to say the wrong thing, so I’ll say it for him. Garrett Cooper came to play for the Cubs because he wanted to be part of a winning team. The Cubs are on the upswing that has been building since the dismantling of the core in 2021. This is the first year since then that the Cubs are expected to be in the contention conversation, which could go further than that.
If you’re not paying attention to Boston, the Red Sox are in shambles. Their owner promised fans they would go “full-throttle” to land top free agents and contend in a division full of super-teams. But all they have done is offload Chris Sale’s contract and backtrack on their words. They’re staring at their third straight season in the basement of the AL East.
The Cubs are now the betting favorites to win the NL Central and have what is considered one of the healthiest systems in baseball. Reinforcements for the roster are close. So even if Cooper doesn’t initially make the Cubs’ roster, he’ll join the AAA Iowa roster full of players who could also be on a major league roster. He’ll win down there and win when he comes up. Yes, he chose the Cubs for the opportunity to play. But really, he came here to win.
