4 moves the Cubs should make after inking Cody Bellinger to 3-year deal
By Josh Wilson
Try Christopher Morel at first base
Again, first base is a big question mark.
Matt Mervis? Michael Busch? Between them, the two young options have .086 years of big-league service time. Chicago has struggled to find a reliable suitor to man this corner of the diamond since trading Anthony Rizzo a few years ago, and no one option in the clubhouse feels like a sure thing at the moment.
Both Mervis and Busch are obviously young and inexperienced. Cody Bellinger, now that he's back, can fill in there as needed, but it's not his natural defensive placement. You prefer him in the outfield at this stage in his career.
Again, the Cubs could sign someone like Duvall mentioned previously for depth, but he's not much more of a natural fit than Bellinger is. You'd probably be rotating he and Bellinger into the position with Busch or Mervis as a regular as well.
Christopher Morel is equally as uncertain in his own defensive home. The Cubs have tried him in the outfield, at second base, at third base, and at shortstop. None of those positional alignments have exactly gone to plan or produced great results for Morel or the Cubs.
Chicago gave him some run at first base in winter league and should extend that experiment to Spring Training now to see who looks best at the position: Mervis, Busch, or Morel? Adding a third to the Spring Training competition may up the ante.
Eventually, Chicago will want to bring up one of Mervis or Busch, but Morel's bat already keeps him at the pro level, so if they like what they see at first base, maybe it gives the Cubs an extra roster spot to work with. If he can man the corner, even for a short while as the prospects develop a bit more, it would be a massive help to the Cubs' problems at first base.
If nothing else, Morel -- who has been constantly floated in trade talks -- may sell a bit higher in the trade market if the Cubs can show he's got some potential as a first base plug.
It's worth a shot.