NEWSLETTER
Not but two days ago we were discussing Christopher Morel’s play in the Dominican Republic this winter, and its relationship to his 2024 position with the Cubs. Although a lot of the talk had been about getting him looks at first base in the DR, that hasn’t really happened, and I don’t think it’s going to.
Moreover, my thinking was that, even if Morel DID get a lot of time at first base in the Dominican Winter League, I don’t know that it would transform their offseason plans at the position:
“But is that how the Cubs are going to structure their offseason plan for first base and for Morel? I really doubt it.
… which brings me back to what I thought the Cubs should’ve been doing all along this offseason, which was having Morel focus very hard and very exclusively on third base. That’s where Morel landing would help the Cubs the most, and he has the skills to be a very good third baseman – he just has to get the arm slot right and consistency on the throws. That takes reps, reps, reps, reps.”
Third base. That’s where the Cubs and Morel should be focused *IF* the idea is for him to play his way into one specific position in advance of, and during the early part of, the 2024 season. I’ve been saying it for months.
Well, for funsies, Morel did play third base yesterday for his LIDOM team, Águilas Cibaeñas, and he made a play that looked like prime Nolan Arenado over there:
That’s the kind of defensive and athletic potential Morel has. We know he’s one of the most tooled out young players around, and at 24 with a particularly challenging development trajectory, it seems completely unreasonable to think that he COULD NOT POSSIBLY make himself into a playable third baseman. We have seen him look good there before, at an individual play level.
The problem is, we have also seen so many moments at third base where the arm simply wasn’t there. Not in strength, obviously, but in accuracy and consistency. His arm stroke on the infield is better suited to second base, and the angle coming over from third – especially on plays to his right or coming in – seems to give him fits. But some of that has to just be reps, right? He has played all over the field (and is doing it again this winter), which means the throws change on him every day. Some guys can pull that off with ease, some guys can’t. Maybe he’s just not that guy, and maybe he would wind up the best version of himself at third base. It’s hard to know when he’s not getting that chance.
I do get the counterarguments. For one thing, the Cubs may want more of a sure thing at third base, which is one of the few open spots available for a big offensive upgrade if the Cubs want it. For another thing, the Cubs already have some floor there available in Nick Madrigal because he was so good defensively (with Patrick Wisdom playing against lefties – rough with the glove, but the bat definitely plays). For still another thing, the Cubs don’t necessarily have to play Morel at third base to get his increasingly potent bat into the lineup.
And then the big one: we’re not sure if Christopher Morel is going to be with the Cubs come March. Not because the Cubs wouldn’t want him, but because of everything above, plus their young position player/prospect depth, his best position (second base) being locked down, his great potential at the plate (and thus attractiveness in trade), and his cheap team control (and thus his value in trade). It’s pretty obvious that there’s the potential for Morel to be a key trade piece in an acquisition move this offseason, whether we like it or not at a personal level. Heck, it’s so obvious that MLBTR had a whole long piece on whether the Cubs should trade Christopher Morel this offseason.
Still, for my part, the best possible outcome here is one where the Cubs don’t trade Morel, and he comes to Spring Training with a singular focus on third base (much like Nick Madrigal last year – who would have thought he could become a great defender at third? no one thought that!). Depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out, of course, it would be outstanding to have Morel’s bat available regularly at third base, leaving the DH spot open for other additions. Maybe it takes him some time to get steady at third. Maybe there are some really ugly moments in the first couple of months of the regular season. But if he got that runway at JUST third base, I can’t help but wonder if the talent and athleticism would eventually win out, and he could be an average glove there.
Then you could have the best version of your offense almost every day, and you also would have had even more financial resources available to focus on upgrades at DH and first base. And, albeit a lesser consideration, you would also have the ability to trade Madrigal or Wisdom if a suitor shows interest.
