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Heading into this offseason, it was clear the Chicago Cubs had an obvious need for an upgrade at third base.
Christopher Morel struggled to play the position defensively and was put into the designated hitter role to keep his surging bat in the lineup. Nick Madrigal was excellent defensively, but had an OPS+ of 79, providing very little at the plate. Patrick Wisdom was moved into a bench role and Jeimer Candelario, who was acquired at the trade deadline, departed in free agency.
The Cubs needed to address that position this winter.
Ideally, they were hoping Morel would be able to develop into their everyday third baseman.
This would keep his bat in the lineup and open up another spot for a solid hitter that would increase their power profile or add another on-base threat.
Yet, it doesn't seem like Chicago is confident that will happen.
"We’re going to have to at some point decide where we focus a lot of the work on with Christopher. And we might get that wrong at the start, but his versatility is something that is going to get him on the field ... That’s what versatile players do and that’s what I think Christopher is going to do for the Cubs," manager Craig Counsell told Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune.
That suggests they don't view Morel as their full-time third baseman.
Of course, there hasn't been much the Cubs have been able to see from the young star this winter as he's playing in the Dominican Republic and is not working with their coaching staff everyday.
They'll get a much better sense of where he's at defensively when he arrives for Spring Training.
But, Chicago needs to have a plan to resolve this situation as soon as possible.
Matt Chapman, the best third baseman on the market, is still available and would be an ideal fit with the Cubs based on his elite defense and solid offensive profile.
If Morel can turn into an everyday player at third, then the front office wouldn't have to shell out a top-of-the-market type of contract to land Chapman.
However, if the 24-year-old can't play the position consistently, then Chicago is back to where they were last season and might have missed out on the best possible option for them this winter.
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Cam Schlittler Shines in Yankees Win Over Blue Jays
In tonight's game with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees up and coming starting pitcher Cam Schlittler gave a strong performance for five innings, setting the Yankees up for a win in Toronto, 5-4. In Schlittler's second major league outing, he allowed 7 hits and 2 earned runs. He shows promise as a starter, and has given Yankees fans something to be excited about amid a season defined by injuries to pitchers Schlittler was first called up on July 9 to replace Clarke Schmidt, who is now out for the rest of the season. Jazz Chisholm secured the Yankees an early 3-0 lead with a homer in the first inning, scoring Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger. Bellinger homered in the fifth to make it 4-1, and catcher Ben Rice, who has enjoyed consistent contact throughout the season, took the Yankees up to that 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth. Embattled shortstop Anthony Volpe racked up his 13th error, now tied with San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames for most errors of any player in the MLB. Yankees relief pitchers Tim Hill and Jonathan Loáisiga gave a disappointing performance in the sixth inning, allowing two hits for two runs in the sixth alone, tying the up game at 4-4. Loáisiga has struggled lately, and has a 5.04 ERA with 25 innings pitched this season. The Yankees are second in the American League East behind the Blue Jays, who took over at the top following a series sweep with the Yanks back in early July. The Blue Jays had won 11 consecutive home games heading into tonight, and the division is still theirs to lose. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Yankees Could Land Infielder With World Series MVP Comparison MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Linked To Red-Hot Reliever Yankees Linked to Former Outfielder in Juicy Trade Rumor Yankees in Mix for Pirates All-Star Pitcher Why Livvy Dunne Couldn't Buy Yankees' Babe Ruth's Apartment
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Knicks Predicted to Part Ways With Karl-Anthony Towns in Blockbuster Three-Team Trade
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Kelsey Plum takes shot at Caitlin Clark after WNBA All-Star Game
On Saturday night, Kelsey Plum was part of Team Collier's 151-131 win over Team Clark in the WNBA All-Star Game, scoring 16 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Following the game, the Los Angeles Sparks star was asked about WNBA All-Stars wearing shirts before the game that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." Specifically, Plum was asked about how that idea came together. "The T-shirt — just a united front," she said. "That was determined this morning, that we had a meeting for. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that." Plum said it with a chuckle. However, she was sitting next to New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who rolled her eyes and said, "Didn't really need to be mentioned" before laughing. It was awkward, especially because Caitlin Clark, as well as all of the members of Team Clark, wore the shirts. If Clark didn't wear the shirt, you could understand some backlash. But she did. It should also be noted that Team Collier featured the president of the WNBA Players Association, Nneka Ogwumike, as well as the first vice president, Plum, and two vice presidents, Napheesa Collier and Brenna Stewart. It makes sense if they took on greater leadership roles in a statement like this against the league. Whether Plum likes it or not, the reason the WNBA has any sort of leverage heading into these negotiations with the league is Clark. She would do well to remember that the next time she wants to take an unnecessary shot at Clark, who is responsible for the greatest surge in fan attention the WNBA has ever seen.
Angel Reese continues to be a rare bright spot for the Sky
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