Cubs Manager Hints Star Won't Be Third Baseman

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.