CHGO Digest: Cubs' best trade chip, Bears stadium update, MJ on Jerry West

Happy Thursday, friends!

“Why are we doing this?”

That’s a text I received moments before Hector Neris and the Cubs escaped with a victory last night.

Nothing represents the life of a Chicago sports fan quite like the existential dread before a win and the reckless belief before a crushing loss.

Just once — can it be easy?

— Patrick Norton

Is Christopher Morel the Cubs’ most tradable asset?

Christopher Morel is 24 years old, has five more years under team control, and owns a 107 wRC+ despite his mighty slump throughout May. He also leads the Cubs in home runs with 13 in 2024.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, his defensive play is becoming an untenable situation. His -11 OAA is the worst in baseball, and Craig Counsell has substituted Morel for a defensive replacement in the 7th inning or later 29 times this year.

That leaves three reasonable routes for the 33-35 Cubs:

1. The team continues to sacrifice defense for offense.
   
2. Morel slots into Counsell’s lineup as the full-time designated hitter.
   
3. The 24-year-old is Jed Hoyer’s top trade chip in a rare summertime blockbuster deal.

If Hoyer feels pressure from ownership to legitimately compete in 2024, it’s hard to imagine that leads to trading one of the team’s top power threats. Frankly, the Cubs need better results at third base.

🔎 GO DEEPER | Become a Diehard to access Ryan Herrera’s latest CHGO Cubs Weekly about Christopher Morel breaking out of his slump at the plate!

⚾ TONIGHT | Cubs at Rays — 5:50 on Marquee Sports Network

$99 Trip to Milwaukee with CHGO!

We’re heading up to Wrigley North! Join us on a bus ride up to MKE from Almost Home in Chicago or the Circa Sportsbook in Waukegan for just $99! Ticket includes a game ticket, bus ride, and other special perks!

Kevin Warren: Chicago ‘missing out’ without new stadium

If you were hoping to step inside of a brand new Bears stadium this decade, lower your expectations.

When Kevin Warren unveiled the franchise’s plan for a new home in April, his idea of moving into the stadium for the 2028 season hinged on having the use of taxpayer funding approved by the Illinois legislature before the end of its 2024 session.

That did not happen, nor does it sound like the Bears should count on that money coming any time soon.

• Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch told WTTW last week, “As we’ve said to the Bears over and over again, to the White Sox, and also to the Chicago Red Stars, there’s just no appetite to use taxpayer funding to fund stadiums for billionaires.”
  
• In a conversation with FOX 32 Chicago, Warren spoke about the state’s decision, saying “I understand these are big projects. They take time, energy and effort to come together. They’re expensive. You have to have foresight, you have to have vision, you have to have wisdom.”
  

📖 READ | CHGO’s Nicholas Moreano’s final thoughts on Caleb Williams’ first minicamp as the Bears’ QB1 and Rome Odunze’s viability as a punt returner in 2024.

Roundup: Michael Jordan on Jerry West, White Sox walked-off … again

• Michael Jordan shared a statement via ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on the passing of Jerry West yesterday morning, saying “I always wished I could have played against him as a competitor, but the more I came to know him, I wish I had been his teammate. Jordan ended his statement, “Rest in Peace, Logo.”
  
• Luis Robert’s game-tying pinch-hit home run in the top of the ninth wasn’t enough to spark the White Sox on Wednesday. Steven Wilson surrendered a walk-off single to Mitch Haniger in the 10th, giving the Mariners their second walk-off victory through series’ first three games.
  

⚾ TONIGHT | White Sox at Mariners — 8:40 on NBC Sports Chicago

Great call, better shirt, Ben.

Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

⚾️ 6/14: Friday 1:20 Club at Wrigley Field – vs. St. Louis
⚾️ 6/24: White Sox Takeover at Guaranteed Rate – vs. LA Dodgers
🏀 6/26: Bulls Draft Party at PB&J
⛳️ 7/22: Cookout Classic Golf Outing at St. Andrews!

Check out our full calendar here!