Rcal10

If they feel Morel can play 3rd I would be ok with him there and then trying Mervis at 1st again. Then, like you said either trade for Polanco or someone else that can play 1st or 3rd. Or they can sign Candelario as a fall back at either position or Garver/Hoskins as a fall back at 1st. Also whoever they got could be a DH option as well. That would leave them enough to either sign a higher end pitcher. Maybe not Yamamoto, but maybe Montgomery. Or they can trade PCA for a young controlled pitcher and bring back Bellinger. As you said, they can’t fill all with FA. They have to trust some youth and it needs to come through. I also think they will go past the first tier in spending this year. They have a decent amount coming off next year with guys they can fill with young talent. Stroman can be filled from within with young talent. They lose Smyly, Mancini, Barnhart, Gomes and maybe Hendricks salary. And none would be hard to replace for less. So if they did go over in 24’ they should be under again in 25’. Obviously this is just one option. The point is, IMO if they are aggressive this off season and are willing to go over the LT in 24’ there are a lot of ways they can get good enough to add 7-10 wins to their total in 23’. But even being aggressive they will need to depend on some youth as well as some guys they get in trades.

I don’t agree with this. If they work with him they should know. If their plan is to exclusively let him work with someone playing third and he does it for several months they should, and most likely will, know if he can handle it. He doesn’t have to play a season or even a few months of a season for them to know.

He is. But the Cubs have no control of where he plays for that team. He will play where that team feels they need him.

Simply put, it all comes down to if the Cubs think Morel can play 3rd base or not. Something I said long ago. If they think he can and feel good about him at 3rd, I would hope they don’t trade him. They can go the prospect route instead, when making a trade for any proven talent. If, after working with him in the off season and maybe into spring training, they feel he cannot handle the position they probably should trade him. This is why I said, IMO, Morel is the key to how the off season unfolds. And I don’t put too much stock into them not doing it last year. Morel came up and exploded as soon as he got here. I think they wanted his bat in the line up and didn’t want to add anything else to his plate at that time. I don’t feel they wanted to work with him as a 3rd baseman and try having him focus on that when they wanted him to hit. I think this off season is a perfect time to work on playing the position.

The problem with this scenario is the budget. Sure, they have enough assets to trade for both those guys. They don’t have, or I should say, they won’t spend the money.

If they signed Chapman and traded for Soto that wouldn’t be a bad start. Still like to see more, but maybe through another trade they add a rotation piece. Not a huge Chapman fan, but if Morel is traded for Soto I would be fine with Chapman playing 3rd. They would have an elite defense.

When talking Alonso versus Soto in trade and then for an extension, to me the issue comes in how long Alonso will want. If he will sign a 5 year or at most 6yr deal extending him is fine. If he wants 8-10 years I am not interested. Where with Soto you can go 12 years and know, barring injury, at least the next 8, and probably 10, should be very good. Alonso does make some sense, especially if you don’t have to deal Morel or any of the top 10 prospects for him and even more so if the Cubs really feel Morel can handle 3rd. But I don’t want him in his late 30’’s. This is also based on Alonso costing far less in salary and acquisition costs than Soto.

If the Cubs FO is committed to keep Soto here long term I have no issues with Morel + for Soto. But the + has to be lowered end prospects, not top 10 guys. Not because I feel all of them will be good, but because if they went in on Soto and are serious about winning they will need those other guys to get more talent. If this is “the move” and for one year, there is no reason to make this deal. They have to add. I also do feel if the Cubs FO feels Morel can play 3rd that might change the dynamics of a possible deal. This is a totally different discussion about Morel depending on if he is a 3rd baseman or DH.

This would work for me.

I seriously doubt the Padres extend Soto. IMO he will be traded. And I see both sides of the argument of if Morel should go for Soto. While I agree with Cuzi that I wouldn’t want to trade 5 years of control for 1 year if Soto I do respect other people’s opinions. The problem with this discussion is people tend to try to prove how smart they are and cut down the other POV. That is what I really dislike about this discussion. For me it comes down to what the Cubs plan is for Morel. If they work him all off season at 3rd base and they feel he can handle it, I would much rather trade a prospect(s) for Soto. And not a top 4 or 5 either. Or don’t even trade for Soto. Look for another trade option moving some prospects. However, if the Cubs do not feel Morel can play 3rd base, maybe they do move him for Soto or another major league talent. To me 5 years of Morel is more valuable than 1 year if Soto on this team for Soto’s money. But I do respect those whose POV differ from mine.

Well said. While I lean towards not trading 5 years of Morel for 1 year of Soto(like Cuzi) If it came with other moves using some of that minor league capital I might like it better. However. As you also mentioned, if the FO believes Morel can handle 3rd base he becomes even more valuable. If that does happen I would rather keep Morel for those years and use minor league talent to acquire a top bat. Or sign Bellinger to play center and trade PCA for a young controlled pitcher. Sign someone like Garver or even Candelario again to play first and DH. I really think Morel is the key to the off season. If he can handle 3rd that is one spot filled. If they don’t feel he can they probably should move him.

Mead and Glasnow is much more realistic. However at Glasnow’s salary and his injury history I am not sure how decent an addition to Morel I would want to give up. Maybe the second piece is in the 10-15 range of Cubs prospects?

I know. It was extreme wishful thinking. And then I looked at his contract and excess value and realized there is no scenario he is a possibility. And when you add his NTC and him specifically signing with Cleveland it add up not even worth discussing.

Ramirez???? Wonder if there is anything to the mention of the Guardians considering trading Ramirez?

I still wouldn’t want to give up additional years of Morel unless the Cubs have an extension for Soto worked out or the FO knows they have to give him the best offer as a FA., and sign him. I don’t want 1 year if Soto for 5 of Morel. The team isn’t that close to winning it all. And as we saw this year, no team really is that close to go all in for 1 year.

I think it comes down to a decision by the. Cubs as to if Morel can play 3rd base. We don’t know if during the off season he proves he can play 3rd. If he can, I would rather go the prospect route. If he can’t they can use him. But either way, they need to sign Soto if they give up a solid package for him.

You are probably right, but it is the Guardians however. And they have Manzardo waiting to bring up and play 1st. So if they can replace him with cheaper and also get good cheap talent back in the way of a prospect they might make a deal. They are always looking to cut costs. Every little bit helps.

100% agree. If we don’t extend Soto there is no reason to make this deal. And we will regret it for years as Morel continues to play well for low cost.

Touch to say with Naylor. Was last year a career year or at 26 is he finally becoming the player he will be for a number of years? It it is the latter. I wouldn’t mind him for several years at 1st. I do like Garver also. Why not both? One at 1st and the other DH. Sign Bellinger and deal PCA for Naylor and Bierber or the best young controlled pitcher Cleveland has. As for PCA to the Guardians, I am not an expert on trades. So I don’t know what is needed to be added either way if the Cubs ended up with Naylor and Bieber(or one of the other young controlled pitchers the Guardians have). A 24’ line up with Bellinger, Naylor, Garver and Morel(at third) added to the core they have already would be a very solid line up. Beiber or one of the young controlled pitchers added to the rotation would make for a solid rotation. And I would think that could be done within the LT threshold. Or at least only breaking the first level if they also added some pen help. of course, all if the above said, if they really could get Soto AND extend him, that would be first option for me. I just don’t expect that.

If Naylor is an option I would hope the Cubs also add a pitcher from the guardians. One stop shopping. I would have wanted McKenzie, but I am not sure he is healthy. But they have other options. If they did go with Naylor then Mervis might as well be in the deal. Depending on if they got a pitcher too and what pitcher that was, obviously more would need to be added. But to me, they are a good team to get a pitcher from. Hawkins should know the young arms there. Bieber is also an obvious trade candidate, but his velo is down a little. So not sure I want to pay what is needed for him. I really think trades will be the way of acquiring more talent this year than FA signings. And I feel the Guardians are a good trade option.

That sort of scenario doesn’t usually end well for the Cubs.

If this is his last year and he can be a free agent the return might not be that great, however. But I do understand your point in if they can’t extend him they might deal him. I honestly think Soto will be available. And that will be the big move the Padres make.

What does Kim make though? $7M? I would think they want to cut more than that. He would be fine if the Cubs for him. But IMO he isn’t a problem on the padres team. Trading him isn’t saving enough payroll.

Why are they screwed already if Mervis and Hoskins are 1b/DH? If Mervis sucks then obviously he isn’t going to DH. Hoskins will play 1B and the Cubs will just rotate DH. Bottom line is the Cubs are not going to fill all spots with proven talent. They are not going to spend that kind of money. They need some young talent to come up. If not Mervis maybe Canario comes I and is DH. Maybe they trade for a 3rd baseman and Morel is the DH. Or, maybe Mervis does well the second time around. We don’t have to look far to find a guy who didn’t establish himself until he was mid to late 20’s in the majors. Garcia isn’t doing too bad for an older guy breaking into the league. Why can’t Mervis?

Agreed. Not really interested in Dalbec. Just stick with Mervis. Maybe for a little cheaper than the star level contracts look into Hoskins. Him and Mervis can split DH/1B. I would rather see Ohtani or a Soto trade, but I know that is doubtful. I would rather sign Hoskins than trade for Alonso. Note: this is assuming Hoskins is healthy.