CHGO Cubs Weekly: Three questions for the first full squad day of camp

Welcome back to the CHGO Cubs Weekly newsletter, folks!

The entire squad officially reports to Cubs spring training today.

There’s still plenty of time between now and Opening Day, so the roster is far from etched in stone. Multiple spots are up for grabs. The fifth starter isn’t set. Multiple free agents are out there, and any of them could surprise us at Sloan Park.

So, like all of you, I have a number of questions that I’d like answered. Let’s get into the three big ones for me now that everyone is arriving in Mesa.

Who’s the Cubs’ center fielder?

If Cody Bellinger re-signs at some point in the next month and a half, this one feels a bit clearer.

Unless something changes between now and Opening Day, Michael Busch is expected to get some run at first base. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are locked in at the corner-outfield spots.

You don’t waste Bellinger’s defensive prowess by having him be the designated hitter, so the most logical spot is to have him start the year in center. But what if he doesn’t come back? That’s where we’re at now, and there’s really no clear answer.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is the team’s top prospect and the future out there, but he said it best himself: “There’s nothing that says Pete’s gonna be the center fielder of the Chicago Cubs.” I’m not judging PCA’s debut based on the results of 19 plate appearances, but you could see he looked overmatched at times at the plate. Maybe starting the season in Iowa is in his best interest.

From there, your top options are Mike Tauchman and Alexander Canario. Tauchman was great in 2023, but maybe Canario can provide the kind of thump the Cubs’ lineup needs? (He did have a .941 OPS in just in 17 PAs last year). Or, maybe Tauchman’s steady presence is better than starting with a rookie in center? Or, maybe the best way is a platoon between the two before PCA is ready?

I don’t know that answer, but I’m hoping the picture clears up soon.

Can Morel take control of third base?

On Saturday, manager Craig Counsell revealed plans to let Christopher Morel focus on third base to start camp. It’s still an open job, and with his arm strength and bat, it makes sense to see if he can make it work.

It was his most-played position in the minors, and he said Sunday he’s most comfortable there. During winter ball this offseason, Morel played mostly third (though he did get some work at first in practice). So, it’s a spot he has plenty of experience with.

But Morel hasn’t shown he can do it consistently in the big leagues. He’s made five errors in 180 2/3 innings, four of them being throwing errors. Accuracy from third has been a challenge for Morel, so it’ll have to be a huge area of focus for him and the staff this spring.

Hey, maybe this works. Maybe letting him commit all of his time to working at third base helps him unlock something. They helped Nick Madrigal morph into a solid defender there last year, so it’s not crazy to think that Morel can get there, too.

I don’t think they have those odds on the Circa Sportsbook, but if they did, I probably wouldn’t bet that he’ll turn into a positive defender at the hot corner. It’s still something I’ll be paying attention to the rest of camp.

Do the Cubs have enough offense to get the job done?

Counsell said the other day he believes “we have enough offense to win a whole bunch of games.” I wouldn’t expect the Cubs’ skipper to say anything different.

But the question still remains: Who will be the team’s biggest offensive contributors?

Bellinger isn’t on the roster, and the Cubs haven’t brought in someone they can count on to replace his production. A reunion hasn’t been ruled out, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer did say he’s still talking to free agents every day. But without any big additions, they’ll be relying a lot on internal improvements.

That means, on the offensive side, they’ll need Nico Hoerner to continue to get better, Seiya Suzuki to build off his last two months of 2023, Dansby Swanson to produce more consistently, Busch to perform somewhere close to how he did in the minors — and probably more.

Can all those things happen? I’m not saying no, but that’s a lot of positive extremes happening in one season for the Cubs’ offense. I’d feel better about it with bats like Bellinger or JD Martinez in the lineup, but without them, it’ll be interesting to watch the offense take shape.

I’ll be in Arizona all week gathering information, so make sure you’re locked into our CHGO Cubs podcasts on YouTube each day as well as following me on Twitter.

PS — Consider becoming a CHGO Diehard if you haven’t already! Not only are you supporting my coverage in Arizona, but you also get your choice of a free shirt in the CHGO Locker upon sign-up, exclusive content from our staff, access to our CHGO Discord Lounge to chat with other Cubs fans, and year-round discounts on merch and events!

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