What would you all think about exploring a trade for Christopher Morel? He came up with the Cubs last year and while he showed that he is an incredibly raw player, he is also a very versatile player who brings a ton of energy to the field. His combination of speed and power is fun to witness, though his defense and instincts leave room for improvement.
Pros:
He has a plus power speed combination that really projects well. His ZiPS projection as a full time player (500+ AB) next season: .234/.304/.425 slash, 2.4 WAR
Extreme versatility, logging innings at 3B, SS, 2B, and all three outfield positions last season. Very valuable for the White Sox who could still use another backup outfielder and are uncertain at 2B.
Only 23 years young and very raw. With the right coaching and development he has plenty of time to fine tune his game and shore up some weaknesses. But even if he doesn’t, again, he has valuables tools that already grade out well (versatility, power, speed, and glove).
An extremely high energy player, something that I could see being very valuable in the White Sox clubhouse.
Under control through 2028 and a league minimum for the foreseeable future, something JR would absolutely love.
Cons:
His hit tool and strike out rate are very poor. In 2022 he carried a 13.9% barrel rate and a 32.2% strikeout rate. While it’s obviously early in his career, that strikeout rate is likely the difference between him being a super utility player and a potential All Star.
His defensive woes in the infield mostly stem from a strong but wildly inaccurate throwing arm. And while he shows good range and glove work in the infield, his instincts on routes in the outfield are problematic. He’ll need work defensively at every position to improve to even average in the field.
Similarly to above regarding instincts in the field, he needs to improve his instincts on the base paths. While his speed is well above average (in the 88th percentile) he only stole 10 bases in 17 attempts for a 59% success rate.
He’s a raw, exciting, versatile, and both cheap and controllable young player. While he shouldn’t be obstructively expensive, he won’t be a giveaway either.
Outside of a few players on their roster, almost no one on the Cubs ML roster is untouchable. Their major weaknesses at the moment appear to be at the infield corners and DH. What do you all think about Morel on the Sox and how do you estimate his cost?
