Cubs All-Star First Baseman Signs With Braves

The Atlanta Braves have reportedly signed former All-Star first baseman Garrett Cooper, who spent last season with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, Cooper has received an invitation to spring training along with a minor league contract. Cooper played for the Cubs, Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles in 2024, although he didn’t appear in any games for Baltimore.

A 2022 All-Star with the Miami Marlins, Cooper has a career batting average of .265, with 57 home runs and 233 RBIs across 517 games. Last season, he posted a .206/.267/.299 line in 36 major league games with Chicago and Boston.

Over the past two seasons, Garrett Cooper, 34, has seen a significant decline from his All-Star level of play. After spending six and a half years in the Marlins organization, he was traded to the San Diego Padres at the 2023 trade deadline.

The Braves now mark his sixth team in just two years. Cooper was released by the Red Sox on June 14 after posting a .171 average (12 for 70) in 24 games. He then signed a minor league deal with the Orioles, where he played 20 games with Triple-A Norfolk, batting .310 with four home runs and 24 RBIs. A fractured right finger kept him sidelined for all of August.

Now with the Braves, Cooper will compete for a spot on a team that is already set at first base with Matt Olson. Olson, a 2023 All-Star, has played all 162 games for the Braves in each of the past three seasons and is under contract through 2029. Olson hit .247 with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs in 2024, marking the first time since 2018 he didn’t surpass 30 home runs.

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