The Cubs are going outside of the organization to remedy one of their offensive weak spots.

The team is designating veteran catcher Yan Gomes for assignment and is signing free-agent catcher Tomás Nido. Nido was released by the Mets earlier this week after he was designated for assignment.

“Of course it was a tough decision,” manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday morning. “Yan is a great teammate and an important person in the clubhouse. But in the end, we just felt like we had to make an attempt at trying to get more production out of the catching spot. And so that’s what kind of instigated the move.”

Gomes struggled offensively this year. The 36-year-old backstop was hitting .154 with 2 home runs and a 17 weighted runs-created plus, 83 points below league average. He ranked at or below league average in defensive metrics like blocks above average, caught stealing above average, framing and pop time, per Baseball Savant.

It was a stark contrast to the player he was last year when he posted a .723 OPS with 10 home runs and a 95 wRC+.

“I don’t know if shocking would be the right word,” Counsell said when asked about the drop-off in offensive production. “I mean, that’s what happened, right? And we have to evaluate that. I think obviously, the level that it changed, it was significant, right? And so we just, again, we felt we had to try to make a move to just get more production out of that position.”

The Cubs have struggled with offensive production out of the catching position all season. Miguel Amaya, who had ascended into the starting role this season ahead of Gomes, is hitting .188 with a .518 OPS and a 50 wRC+. He is an above-average catcher in blocks above average, but ranks lower in caught stealing above average, framing and pop time, too.

The Cubs have the worst caught-stealing percentage in baseball (88.7%). The duo of Amaya and Gomes had nabbed just 8 of a possible 71 baserunners, the fewest in baseball. Nido has nabbed 6 of 32 baserunners this season.

“We’re just trying to get upgraded and give us more chances to win,” Counsell said. “So it’s the whole player for sure matters. The defensive part of it matters. He’s an excellent receiver and that’s important.”

Nido, 30, was hitting .229 before his time with the Mets was cut short. He has 3 homers this year, a .622 OPS and a 79 wRC+. He also grades out as above league average in blocks above average, framing and pop time. He’s in the top-13 percentile in caught stealing above average, an area the Cubs have really struggled in this season. Nido is a career .214 hitter in parts of 8 big-league seasons.

The most important aspect for Nido will be working with an entirely new pitching staff. but with his experience, he has some familiarity with the Cubs’ hurlers, which will help in the transition.

“I know a lot of them from facing them before and playing against them,” Nido said. “It’s not going to be very difficult. The guys have been great with me since I got here this morning to get me up to speed. I don’t think it will take me long at all. I’m excited to get to work.”

The most difficult adjustment, Counsell said, will be working with relievers. As a catcher works with a starting pitcher, the rapport builds quickly as they work through a lineup multiple times and go through a game plan. But with relievers, there’s a little bit more of a learning curve.

“Those guys are well versed at having to take in a lot of information and learn quickly and you do it with a new pitcher that comes up when you’re a catcher that’s been with the organization,” Counsell said. “So it’s part of the job, and those guys, we know, they take in a ton of information. They got to process a lot. They got to keep the good stuff, throw out the bad stuff and make a decision. They make a lot of decisions every day.”

Nido, for his part, is using Wednesday and Thursday’s off-day as an opportunity to talk to the pitching staff and Amaya, get to know them and prepare to work with them. This weekend’s series against his former team, should help in the acclimation process, too.

“Just a lot of videos, watching how they’ve pitched this year and their history,” Nido said. “Just talking to Amaya as well, it’s a special group of guys – good pitching. I’m excited to be able to handle that staff.”