As noted this morning by Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Cubs have “evaluated alternatives” to third baseman Christopher Morel this season, with one such alternative possibly being top prospect Matt Shaw.
Morel has started 50 of the team’s 66 games this year at third base, taking over from the group that shared the position down the stretch last season: Nick Madrigal, Jeimer Candelario (now with the Reds), Miles Mastrobuoni, and Patrick Wisdom. Madrigal started 11 games at third this year (and filled in as a defensive replacement on 25 other occasions), but he was optioned to Triple-A earlier this month and is currently on the minor league injured list. Wisdom, meanwhile, has played a utility role off the bench, taking reps at first base, third base, right field, and DH. Mastrobuoni also played a utility role before he was optioned in mid-May.
Prior to this season, Morel had only played 180 2/3 MLB innings at the hot corner, having spent more time in his first two seasons at second base and in the outfield. However, he played 156 games at third base in his minor league career – more than any other position – and after his strong performance at the plate last year (26 home runs and an .821 OPS in 107 games) the Cubs wanted to find him a position to keep his bat in the lineup on a regular basis. Unfortunately, his glove has been all but unplayable at third base this year. Morel has already made eight errors, and his -8 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and -11 Outs Above Average (OAA) both rank last among all third basemen. In fact, his -11 OAA ranks dead last in all of baseball.
To make matters worse, Morel’s bat has not been what it was last season. While he is on pace for nearly 30 home runs, his .702 OPS is barely above the league average. That’s not terrible, but his .203/.315/.388 slash line certainly doesn’t justify his awkward fit at third base. His .375 xwOBA (10th among qualified NL batters) suggests he’s due for some positive regression, but even if he starts hitting again, it’s become clear he’s a much better fit at DH (where has has started his other 15 games) than third base.
Unfortunately for the Cubs, they aren’t exactly flush with other options. Madrigal has a smooth glove, but his bat is a serious weakness; he has a .616 OPS over three seasons with the Cubs and a .535 OPS this season. Wisdom is off to a poor start at the plate himself, and his defensive metrics at third base over the past few years have been nearly as bad as Morel’s. Mastrobuoni has never looked like more than a bench piece, and the same could be said of David Bote.
Therefore, unless the Cubs are planning to look outside the organization for a new third baseman, their best solution could be a prospect like Shaw. The 22-year-old is currently playing for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies, with whom he has a 118 wRC+ in 69 games over the past two years. Shaw got the bulk of his starts at shortstop last season, but he has slid over to third for 35 out of 54 games in 2024. His glove will never be a standout tool; like Morel, he just needs a position so he can get his powerful swing and quick legs into the lineup.
Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs all have Shaw ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Cubs organization, which is widely considered one of the deepest farm systems in the game. On the more bullish side, Keith Law of The Athletic recently put Shaw 15th overall, tops among Cubs farmhands. Given Shaw’s young age and lack of experience above Double-A, he won’t be the immediate answer in Chicago. As Mooney puts it, the Cubs are “open to the possibility” that Shaw “could eventually become part of the solution.” Until then, the Cubs might just have to hope Morel turns it around at the plate enough to mask his struggles with the glove. He may already be doing just that, with a .934 OPS in his last 10 games.
Heard that the D’Backs want to unload Geno Suarez, maybe wait on it and the Cubs maybe get him for the minimum after the D’Backs DFA him.
Bah Gawd, that’s… that’s S̶t̶o̶n̶e̶ C̶o̶l̶d̶’s̶ Eugenio Suarez’s music!
They can have Austin Riley for salary relief and a couple lottery card spects.
Are you okay??
He’s been one of the worst players in baseball this season and he’s getting paid a ton of money.
Riley is awful. Stuck with him on my fantasy team suffering through his season long slump hoping he does anything.
How about the Cubs and Mets blockbuster : Morel, Busch and Horton for Alonso, Baty and Quintana
A struggling former top prospect and two pending free agents (and Quintana is a backend starter at best right now) wouldn’t nearly be worth that much in my opinion
No thank you.
That’s about as bad a trade as the Cubs could make…brilliant idea from a Mets fan.
Hey, just had an idea. Anthony Rendon is getting ready to come back and should be good as new. The Cubs can have him and his salary and we don’t want anything in return!
Isn’t Rendon on the hook for two more seasons after this year? That’s still 70 million plus whatever is owed to him this year. That’s a lot of money for a guy that can’t stay healthy…
He’s owed 76m over the next two years plus the remaining salary for this year. That’s a bargain…please take him…please.
I think Kyle Farmer would be a perfect fit
Is Busch that bad at 3B?
I’ve been wondering this too
Neither Morel nor Busch can play 3B. I told everyone this Spring that Morel sucked defensively at 3B and only a couple Cubs’ fans agreed. Morel’s bat night improve but he is a DH or weak 2B only. Never a 3B. I would trade Morel for Alonso straight up. I don’t want Baty, maybe he can hit in the future but not now. Shaw is not ready. Suarez is not good enough. McMahon is not going anywhere and the price would be too high. Rendon belongs in the morgue. Going to have to get creative for a solution here.
Theres the Mendoza line for hitting. Is Morel above the Jeff Kent line for 3B/2B?
Kent wasn’t nearly as bad defensively at 2B as Morel is at 3B
So, Manny, you’d trade Morel for Alonso straight up? Typical pretend-GM nonsense. Wishing won’t make it so, and no way the Mets make that deal, except in your fantasy GM world.
Mets would actually be stupid not to make that deal. Morel is absolutely smoking the ball and has improved his strike and walk rates. His ridiculously low BABIP is the only reason his stat line is as bad as it is.
People get all wrapped around the axle on triple slash lines early in the season without looking at the underlying work. The underlying work however suggest Morel has improved quite a bit as a hitter and should see a nice rebound which we’ve already started to see the past two weeks.
Mets would be beyond stupid not to make that move. A pending, aging, poor defensive 3 true outcome “slugger” for a young, talented player with 4 more years of control. Yeah, no thx – you Mets fans are delusional.
The Cubs should have traded Morel if he is that bad defensively.
Morel could be OK’ish corner OF as well. Cubs should have traded him.
Morel to CLE for Gabriel Arias and Myles Straw. Change of scenery candidates all three.
I’m not so sure Shaw is ready. But I’d rather see them take that route, than see them make another trade out of desperation, like the pursuit of McMahon.
I also would like someone to let me know if I’m overlooking something – but since Carter Hawkins has hit town, have the Cubs made a single good move, other than Imanaga?
Shaw not ready? The guy is hitting 225 in AA baseball. Bring him up to placate the sports radio and Cubs twitter Army.
Amazing it took them this long to figure that out.
Must have been frustrating for Cubbies fans.
The hope, at least for me and a few coworkers of mine, was that Morel would be hitting much better, and that would mask his lackluster fielding. That has not been the case unfortunately…
A guy with a .712 ops in Aa doesn’t inspire much confidence.
I imagine they’d be happy to get league average defense at 3rd, even if it costs them a little offense.
Improving the soul crushing defense they currently get at 3rd would boost their playoff hopes.
That’s a 118 wRC in his current environment, and heMs had some BABIP issues. Offense is way down. I think Shaw is closer than you’d guess
He’s also been amazing at RISP situation. Hitting well over 300.
Give Shaw a shot. See what happens. Likely won’t be any worse. The Cubs have been hitting the reset button at 3rd and 1st for a while now. A frustrating year so far. Not much has gone right with this team. The only positive thus far has been SP Shōta Imanaga. Looks like my prediction at the start of the season to win the division with 90 wins (1st time my prediction to win the division since 2018) is out the door.
Was it the .204 avg or terrible defense? Starting to believe this farm system isn’t all that good. But it’s ok for the fan base, just doing Cub things as usual.
Shaw is in AA and is not handling it any better than Morel is in MLB.
Seems this would be a rushed move on Shaw, maybe they go back seeing Busch at 3B or look around who is available
Ian Stewart available?
Javy Baez is more than available! He can’t hit but boy does he have a mean, quick, tag!
DJ Lamaheiu?
Breaking news and hot off the presses … Gary Scott is about to come out of retirement and take over at the hot corner! You heard it here first baseball fans!! Woot woot !
I knew this day would come
To summarize the article, hurry up and wait until next year.
Mariners will send you Luis Urias and add Victor Robles for some deep dish pizza
With Gary Scott’s return to bigs, is Josh Vitters in Iowa? 😉
Ron Cey would be an improvement.
The Cubs are in a bad spot right now but I would bring up Vazquez to play third, shift Morel to second while Nico is hurt, Busch back to first, Bellinger in center, Tauchman at dh.
I’d rather see Bote at second while Horner is our than Morel on the field. He can DH.
How about Rengifo? Having a solid year, some position versatility (3rd is his best imo)
Morel is an immature player with a terrible approach who tries to hit a 6 run home run no matter the situation. I had high hopes for him but he has clearly regressed offensively and defensively. However let’s point the finger of blame where it belongs, and that’s at Jed Hoyer. The team was poorly put together with no acceptable depth at third base.
Clearly regressed except he’s made significant improvements.
Lower K rate
Higher BB rate
Well above league average in exit velocity, expected batting average, slugging percentage, barrel rate, hard hit percentage, chase percentage.
Morel has improved at the plate in leaps and bounds, his 12.5% walk rate is in the top 11% and his launch angle is right where it needs to be.
Drasco is correct, He’s actually maturing… Which is why it’s so hard to take him out. He’s still just 24, turns 25 later this month.
He’s improved in his approach. If you watch him play. If not, I can see why you’d think differently.
You just have to get him out of the field……..period. (not that he should be hitting fourth—-but get him out of the field, please)
Yeah, I am open to the idea that if he was a pure DH that his bat might pick up. Just NOT on the field.
Oldguy: just wonder why you believe Morel is immature with a terrible approach? Could you give a bit of detail with that opinion?
Maybe you even have some player comps??
Oldguy doesn’t like seeing ballplayers who play with joy or have fun. No smiling when you’re slumping. Grit your teeth and go back to the bench. Hit a home run, “act like you’ve been there.”
He must love Ian Happ then.
When your 702 OPS is above league average…. oooof
It’s the ghost of Pedro Alvarez!
Talk about burying the lede! The last sentence of this piece is pretty much all you need to know, a big ‘ol “nevermind.”
Cubs ain’t going anywhere. Just put Busch at 3rd , DH Morel and put Bellinger at 1st
Hot corner aka blackholesuckbrigade
People, People! We’re overlooking the obvious solution here. Hire a mad scientist to create an unholy Frankenstein-esque hybrid of morel and madrigal. The Moradrigal, Nick’s glove and model’s bat all in one ghastly abomination!
Ron Santo
Cubs and padres should do a 1-1
Eguy Rosario for Jordan Wicks.
He’s 24 and definitely capable of providing better defense at 3b. Plus he’s cheap and comes with full team control.
ER needs a chance to play every day just to see what will develop for sure. He is at that age that if it doesn’t happen soon it may never happen.
I’m sure he would welcome a trade. I wouldn’t want to acquire him though if I were a playoff team looking for an upgrade because his bat hasn’t translated to mlb at least not yet.
He is about to get passed by the next round of prospects and well, the draft is right around the corner even.
He needs to go to a non-contender on a 1-1 swap – I like the RP idea.
Morel has shown offensive upside along with bad offensive luck. He has taken walks in key situations, and his plate decision making is way better than even a year ago. And he is still ore-arb.
His upside is Nick Castellanos, somebody who can be buried in LF and move to 2B if you need to PH for an infielder. But the Cubs have four OF prospects (PCA, Canario, Alcantara, and Davis) and two everyday OF with no-trade clauses in Happ and Suzuki. So that doesn’t work on Chicago.
Hopefully he has shown enough at the plate that he can be traded this off-season to a team that needs DH/LF offense in return for equally controllable pitching.
You’re missing one Brick.
Caissie.
Dogbone
Caissie is the Cubs TOP position player prospect. The Cubs outfield next April is Belli, Suzuki and Happ, but Caissie will be on the mix before 2925 is over. With his bat, PCA seems like a fourth outfielder defensive replacement type.
Caissie probably is.
However you might not realize PCA is only 22 years old, and his body is still filling out. He just needs to gain strength.
I smell desperation in the air, and it’s of their own making. What was the primary and backup plan going into this year? Toss a guy who’s barely played 3B and never played any defensive position well into the breech and cross your fingers? And if (as one would reasonably expect) that plan failed…Madrigal? Bote? Wisdom?
I mean, seriously? That’s terrible front office work, and promoting a guy with a .712 OPS in AA who himself is just learning the position (and who scouts believe is a 2B long term) reeks of more desperation.
If the Cubs are SERIOUS about contention, then they surrender some draft capital and plug the gap, either with a defense-only type or a rental, and they do it NOW.
The more I look at this team, I see how poorly constructed it really is. No ‘aircraft carrier”, weak offense, mediocre defense, no catching, no bullpen depth….the Cubs are riding their SP and nothing else. And let me be the first to say, I’m not sure the manager has been worth the money he’s making either.
Ramon Urias from Baltimore is 2 yrs removed from his gold glove season at 3B and has a pile of kids in the minors pushing him for playing time. A trade with the Cubs would allow him to get PAs and show off a bat that can be sneaky powerful.
I’d think that the O’s would do the trade for a young relief arm or two out off Chicago’s farm.
Most definitely they would make that deal. In a heartbeat. There is no room for Urias on the the O’s roster. He can be had for next to nothing and provide stellar D at 3rd.
The O’s have no room for Ramon Urias. Off to a tough start at the plate but plays stellar defense, especially at third. Can be had for next to nothing. Jed, this is the perfect solution!
Unload the farm for TB’s Isaac Paredes.
It’ll cost a boatload but he fills two desperate needs: a 3B and a big bat. Plus he’s just 25 years old and has got years of control. TB has Caminero at AAA as a replacement, and they showed with the Adames trade a couple years back they’ll make a move well before the trade deadline if the price is right.
But for Cubs fans, this isn’t a “Wisdom, Amaya and our #25 prospect” package; it’s going to hurt. TB knows talent when they trade for it, and they don’t have to make a trade….and if they shop Paredes, there’ll be a long line of suitors.
I’m not ready to pull the plug at third base yet. He’s 24 and has the best arm on the team. He’s improving in most metrics at the plate and I’d have to believe he can do the same defensively eventually. It’s exacerbated by significantly poor play at catcher & first base and a total lineup slump. You can live with him at 3rd if they upgrade at those positions and start winning series again. Morel is not the problem on this team. Poor GM’ing at key positions is; Jed sat on his hands this offseason and it’s criminally negligent.
Bo, son of Dante!!
“Meanwhile” can’t come in the middle of a sentence between commas, Leo. As a conjunctive adverb, it has to start the sentence.