MESA, Ariz. -- It has been a long time since Michael Conforto came to Spring Training knowing he had to try to win a spot on a roster. The outfielder has a decade’s worth of big league experience with a solid track record, but the struggles he experienced last season limited his options in free agency.
Conforto spent the offseason thinking about last year -- a personally difficult season on the field, but one with a World Series ring with the Dodgers as the ending -- constantly as he trained and awaited job offers. The Cubs recently came calling with a Minor League deal that would give Conforto a chance to compete for an Opening Day job.
Conforto felt oddly invigorated by the opportunity.
“It's a new feeling,” Conforto said. “Obviously as a free agent, you want the guarantee, you want the roster spot. When it kind of came down to that not being an option for me, taking this deal with the Cubs was like an exciting moment.
“I didn’t really expect it, but it felt good to have that new perspective. And it felt exciting and new again. I feel like I’m a prospect.”
The Cubs officially put the final touches on Conforto’s contract on Thursday, announcing the Minor League pact and extending the invitation to attend big league Spring Training. The 32-year-old Conforto has already been in camp for a few days, going through workouts and on target to potentially get into a Cactus League game as soon as the weekend.
Conforto will be competing for a backup outfield job, along with Kevin Alcántara and Justin Dean, as well as fellow non-roster veterans Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick. With first baseman Tyler Austin recently undergoing right knee surgery, there are two bench roles available.
Conforto might feel like a prospect coming into camp with a chance to impress the Major League staff, but Chicago knows what he can do on a field. This is a lefty bat -- something the Cubs would like to have behind outfielders Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki -- and a player who had been consistently productive before things went south swiftly in ’25.
“In this situation,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, “this has just been a really good player in the league who did not have a good year last year. You’re just betting on the history.”
Across the 2015-20 seasons, Conforto turned in a .259/.358/.484 slash line with an .843 OPS and 128 wRC+ for the Mets. From ’21-24 (excluding a ’22 campaign lost due to injury), the outfielder had a .736 OPS and 105 wRC+ between stints with the Mets and Giants. After signing a one-year, $17 million deal with the Dodgers last year, he had a .637 OPS and 83 wRC+ in 138 games.
Conforto was a regular in Los Angeles’ lineup throughout the season, but was left off the playoff roster during the Dodgers’ run to their second World Series triumph in a row. Even though he played a role in L.A.’s campaign, Conforto felt a bit like an outsider in the wake of what should have been a satisfying victory.
“Last year was just a crazy roller-coaster ride of emotion,” Conforto said. “To win a World Series, to achieve that dream, but also not be on the roster through the playoffs, super bittersweet, super conflicting feeling. It honestly felt like I didn’t earn it in a way. But, I'm still proud of that group of guys. Proud of my ability to continue to be a good teammate and still uplift guys. Showed up in less ways than I wanted to, but I do still feel like I was a big part of it.
“But it leaves you hungry. It leaves you motivated. It’s something I had to wrestle with through the offseason. You bring it to your offseason workouts.”
Conforto said he teamed up with former big leaguer Howie Kendrick over the winter to work on his swing, focusing on his lower half and less on his bat path. One goal is to recapture some of the opposite-field power he displayed when he was right in the batter’s box. Conforto said he also worked to tighten up his daily routine again.
“I feel great,” Conforto said. “Part of the reason I’m taking an NRI is I feel confident. I feel excited. And I want to have that experience.”
Counsell appreciated Conforto’s mindset.
“He’s in a good place,” Counsell said. “You learn from all your experiences and it puts you in a good place. You have uncertainty when you come into camp on a non-roster deal. And I think he’s in a position to use that uncertainty in a really good way.”