Cody Bellinger’s successful comeback player of the year campaign could be a template for the Chicago Cubs and another Scott Boras client. With an opening at first base and a need for a middle-of-the-order hitter, the Cubs view Rhys Hoskins as a good fit for their roster, league sources said, seeing it as another opportunity to add an impact player with postseason experience without having to go long on a contract.
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Hoskins, who helped bridge the Philadelphia Phillies from a rebuilding team to a World Series contender, hit six home runs during the 2022 playoffs. Hoskins tore the ACL in his left knee during spring training in March and underwent season-ending surgery. Hoping to make a Kyle Schwarber-esque comeback in October, Hoskins worked out at the team’s Florida complex before the Phillies were eliminated from the National League Championship Series.
“Certainly, there’s potential for a pillow contract,” Boras said last week during Major League Baseball’s general managers’ meetings in Arizona. “Rhys got a chance to really get ramped up, almost to be World Series-ready in Clearwater because the Phillies wanted to add him to their World Series roster. So he is way ahead of this conditioning thing and really very much back to full speed. The power of Rhys, his leadership, all those things are really demonstrated in a major market and on championship levels, hitting championship pitching. So I think Rhys’ pieces fits all team puzzles.”
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski already signaled that his team will likely move on from Hoskins and install Bryce Harper as its full-time first baseman. Hoskins, a homegrown Phillie, made his major-league debut in August 2017 and hit 18 home runs in his first 50 games, emerging as a player who would become part of Philadelphia’s next postseason core.
Hoskins generated 34 home runs and 96 RBIs in 2018. He led the NL in walks in 2019. Over his past two seasons, he totaled 57 home runs and 150 RBIs. From his 2017 debut through the 2023 season, Hoskins’ 126 wRC+ rates 26th among players with at least 2,500 plate appearances, tied with Austin Riley and just ahead of Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado. Hoskins will be 31 next season and would have been looking at different options in free agency if he had stayed healthy.
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The Cubs reviewed Bellinger’s injury issues and the other factors that led the Los Angeles Dodgers to non-tender a former MVP last November. The Cubs and Boras negotiated a one-year, $17.5 million contract that allowed Bellinger to display his talents and re-enter the free-agent market at age 28. Bellinger hit .307 with 26 home runs, 97 RBIs and 20 stolen bases while providing good defense in center field and at first base.
With Bellinger and Jeimer Candelario both becoming free agents, the Cubs have to address a position that did not get enough production from the combination of Eric Hosmer, Trey Mancini and Matt Mervis.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer raised eyebrows at the GM meetings when he mentioned Christopher Morel will be playing first base in winter ball. A couple of days after that was suggested, Morel was listed at third base in the original starting lineup for Águilas Cibaeñas and ended up playing left field.
“It’s an ongoing conversation,” Hoyer said. “We’ve talked a lot about finding him a home. I do think we want to get him some work at first and see how he reacts to that. He’s shown he can play third, he’s shown he can play second, he can play in the outfield, but finding him a home is something that would be really valuable. That’s something we’ve been talking about.”
It may be a stretch to say Morel has “shown” he can play third considering the time he’s had there at the big-league level has been spotty at best. But he did go through the minors largely playing on the left side of the infield. Hoyer acknowledged finding him a spot with the Cubs isn’t easy. The corner outfield spots are locked down. Nico Hoerner is at second base, arguably the spot where Morel has shown the most promise.
“It’s hard,” Hoyer said. “Some of that is based on his skill set, and some of that is based on our personnel. I think he’s a very capable second baseman, but we have a guy who’s won a Gold Glove. So that’s not the spot we’re going to put him. I think another team may be able to put him there and have him be able to do that.”
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With Hoyer volunteering that second is somewhere other teams would like to see him play, is Morel most valuable as a trade piece? Perhaps. But it’s important to remember that Morel isn’t even arbitration-eligible for another two years. The earliest he can become a free agent is after the 2028 season. Trading him for one year of an established player — like Pete Alonso — just isn’t something Hoyer would see as equal value.
Morel delivered a 119 wRC+ last season, but his strikeout rate (31 percent) didn’t improve significantly from 2022 and his chase rate (29.5 percent) jumped a point. But he did make more in-zone contact, which likely led to the increase in damage he was doing as he posted a .260 ISO last season, more than 60 points higher than in 2022.
Teammates and coaches are well aware of Morel’s flaws, but they also see the potential for an incredibly impactful player. There is an understanding that swing-and-miss is a part of his game, but he needs everyday playing time to improve his baseball awareness and truly understand how pitchers will attack him and how to make real adjustments.
Right now, Morel is just a hard swinger whose contact almost always does damage. But if he starts to control that aggressiveness and understand the few areas where he can impact the baseball most frequently, he has the chance to be one of the more feared power hitters in the game. “Scary” is a word often used to describe Morel’s offensive potential by those in the organization if he truly learns what to swing at and avoids his cold zone — primarily the fastball up and in.
That’s the risk Hoyer would take if he moved Morel. He’s already shown he can have some success at the highest level, and there are obvious ways he can grow and turn into someone potentially special. Trading him for one year of any player would be something Hoyer may end up regretting in due time. But that’s often the case when dealing young talent to try and win in the short term.
If Hoyer were to move Morel, it may be more palatable to get another young, under-club-control player in return. Something similar to the trade the Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks made last winter when the Diamondbacks acquired left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catcher Gabriel Moreno for center fielder Daulton Varsho. That was two teams dealing from an area of depth to boost an area of weakness.
It is starting to feel like it will be an upset if the Cubs don’t pull off at least one big trade this winter. There was a lot of talk about the trade market being more active this offseason, but Hoyer wasn’t ready to declare that the case just yet.
“I don’t have a sense yet,” Hoyer said. “My gut is it’ll be robust. These initial conversations are team needs and what you’re looking for. People might exchange some names, but the reality is you don’t see a lot of deals made on Nov. 10. These things take some time. Feels like Thanksgiving is the kickoff where things start to heat up after that.”
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With a farm system largely considered among the top five in baseball and lauded for its depth, perhaps there are superfluous pieces Hoyer would decide to include in trades to fill needs at the big-league level.
One name that almost certainly will be bandied about in trade rumors is Cubs infield prospect James Triantos. Triantos immediately opened eyes when he raked in the Arizona Complex League in 2021 after being drafted in the second round out of James Madison High in Virginia. But after he put up a .970 OPS in 25 games at that level, he posted a .721 OPS in 113 games at Low A in 2022.
The big question with Triantos last offseason was whether he’d develop enough power. With his defensive home still a question, that was a necessity for him to continue to rise in the prospect rankings. Triantos focused on swing decisions and continuing to strengthen his still-young body.
This season, after missing the start of the year after undergoing a knee procedure, he proved to be one of the biggest exit velocity jumpers in the minors and posted a 115 wRC+ at High A and earned a cup of coffee at Double A. But his true breakout has occurred at the Arizona Fall League, where he’s slashed .417/.495/.679 with three doubles, five triples and three home runs.
James Triantos had an outburst of triples in the first (nearly) four weeks of the Fall League
Last night … he decided to take his time running the bases and smacked his third homer of the fallpic.twitter.com/sXin2nYrk7
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) October 27, 2023
“It’s not something I can control,” Triantos said of trade rumors. “I’m just going to work hard in the offseason and come back to be the best player I can be. That’s all I can ask for.”
Triantos is aware of how deep the farm system is and understands that not everyone will be with the big-league club. The Cubs are very high on 2023 first-round pick Matt Shaw, who crushed High A with a 190 wRC+ in 20 games and then posted a 120 wRC+ in 15 games at Double A. Shaw seems like a player who could hit the big leagues as early as 2024, but like Triantos, it isn’t clear where he’ll play.
Those types of issues have a way of resolving over time. Not every prospect is destined for greatness, and some don’t develop as expected. It’s up to Hoyer and the Cubs to determine who they’re going to build around and who they’re willing to trade to help the big-league roster and/or improve areas of weakness.
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“It makes sense,” Hoyer said. “But the lifeblood of everything is: Do you have a good farm system? Do you have good young players that can provide that depth? So I don’t think you want to be giving that away frivolously. But at the same time, if deals make sense or players are blocked, it’s certainly something we have to explore.”
(Top photo of Rhys Hoskins: Bill Streicher / USA Today)