Here are three things the Chicago Cubs, and their fans, would love to see under the tree on Christmas Day.
What do you get for a Chicago Cubs fan after you watch your team swing and miss on both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
It hasn’t been an easy offseason for the Cubs to this point. How can the team make it better for its fans? Put these three gifts under the tree on Christmas Day.
A Re-signed Cody Bellinger
Yep, it’s time to get the top remaining free-agent hitter on the market to sign a long-term deal (or at least a long-term dela with some opt-outs that Bellinger’s agent, Scott Boras, loves so much).
How could the Cubs not want this guy back? The NL Comeback Player of the Year had a tremendous season for the Cubs, he’s healthy and he’s just hitting his prime. Wrigley Field is perfect for him. The Cubs have two open spots for him — first base and center field. If they can convince him to play first base full-time then they can take care of their corner infield problem and open up a spot for their top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field.
All it takes is money. Yes, a lot of it. That’s the tricky part — spending THAT much money, probably more than $200 million. But, hey — that’s what opt-outs and deferred money are for.
Extend Justin Steele
There’s some risk there. After all he’s coming off a career-best season in which he went 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 173 innings.
But, three years into his career Steele is now entering the arbitration phase, were the Cubs can choose to go year-to-year with Steele on one-year deals or arbitration hearings or go the long-term extension route to get Steele through those years and, perhaps, one or two more years, past that to find a middle ground.
Steele wants to get paid. The Cubs want some cost certainty. Extending him would be the right call. It’s work for plenty of other pitchers, including one the Cubs were rumored to be interested in — Tyler Glasnow.
Shore Up Christopher Morel’s Glove
The Cubs love Christopher Morel’s bat, and there is a lot to love. He hit 26 home runs last year while bouncing around the diamond and the designated hitter role.
The problem is that Morel’s best position is taken by Nico Hoerner at second base. The Cubs gave him a test drive at third base, first base and the outfield. Third base was not his position. By season’s end Morel was the designated hitter and a solid one. Maybe that’s his role long-term. But the Cubs want to see him improve his glove.
Chicago is willing to test-drive him at first base. But, long-term, if he’s going to be a utility player — and that’s his lot in Chicago right now — his glove will have to get more consistent.
