I don’t need to tell you that the merry-go-round of players that made up the Chicago Cubs bench in 2025 left much to be desired. Journeyman infielder Nicky Lopez was certainly no exception in his 14 games with the club – and, now, he’s moving on to new pastures that certainly don’t seem any greener.
Lopez, 30, signed a minor-league deal with the Colorado Rockies that includes an invite to spring training, looking to bounce back and re-establish himself after turning in the worst year of his big-league career. He appeared in just 18 games (14 with the Cubs, 4 with the Angels), and batted an abysmal .042/.179/.042 – which works out to a -32 OPS+, in case you’re wondering.
With Triple-A Iowa, where he spent most of the 2025 campaign, he was at least serviceable, posting a .752 OPS. His real value comes on the defensive side of things: Lopez is capable of playing pretty much anywhere in the infield (first base only in case of emergency) and can be plugged into the outfield if needed).
Cubs will need versatility on the bench heading into 2026
The Cubs need players capable of moving around the diamond. We know that’s something that both Jed Hoyer and Craig Counsell like in guys – and last summer’s big bench upgrade, Willi Castro, was a major disappointment after coming over from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline. One potential solution would be to upgrade at third, shifting Matt Shaw into a super-utility role in 2026, but it’s hard to see Chicago landing an ace and getting a major upgrade at the hot corner.
If Lopez can break camp with the Rockies, it’ll mark his sixth different MLB team, with Colorado joining the likes of the Cubs, Angels, White Sox, Braves and Royals. Kansas City selected him in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Creighton.