Gomes went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week and will head to free agency in search of a new opportunity. The 36-year-old veteran backstop should be able to latch on somewhere as a backup catching option for the remainder of the year.

He’ll probably catch on somewhere, but Gomes, who was batting .154/.179/.242 in 96 plate appearances, has looked pretty much done at age 36, even though he was still a perfectly fine starter just one year ago. Maybe the Phillies will want him as a steady hand while J.T. Realmuto is out.

The end can come quickly sometimes. The usually solid Gomes actually performed a little better than his career norms at age 35 last season, but he’s really slipped both offensively and defensively this year. Nido won’t help with the offense, but he is an excellent defender and he might cut into Miguel Amaya’s playing time some.

They were off Jordan Lyles, so they count even less than most spring homers. Gomes remains a solid enough starting catcher, but he’ll probably play less than most starters, given that he’s 36 and he has an intriguing young backup in Miguel Amaya. He received 419 plate appearances last season, but that was boosted by 10 starts at DH and the Cubs would seem to have better options there now.