AP Photo/Jeff Dean

The Rundown: Morel Example of Consistent Organizational Failure, Counsell Expects Taillon to Stay, Happy Deadline Day

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJuly 30, 2024

“All my bags are packed and I’m ready to go. I’m standin’ here outside your door. I hate to wake you up to say goodbye.” – Peter, Paul & Mary, Leaving on a Jet Plane

You won’t like what I have to say, but Cubs fans often fall too much in love with mediocre players. Christopher Morel is gone and that stinks because he’s a genuinely nice guy. I’m not saying that Isaac Paredes is the answer, but his counterpart wasn’t either and he was probably never going to be, at least not at third base. If you’re a fan of Morel, be happy that he gets a second chance with an organization that knows a thing or two about player development. Paredes is everything the Cubs hoped Morel would be. Unfortunately, he had to leave the organization to become that player before returning.

The crime isn’t that Morel is gone, it’s that the Cubs consistently stunt the growth of their younger players once they’ve graduated from the team’s farm system. The real cost for failing to develop Morel was Hunter Bigge and Ty Johnson, though it goes much deeper. I’m not in a Venn Diagram kinda mood this morning so we’ll leave it at that. Logical relationships were never my strong suit anyway. Morel did leave several Cub fans teary-eyed with his farewell messages across social media.

On the other hand, Paredes is a stopgap player who hits a little better, won’t hurt the Cubs defensively, and will be pushed to the side by Cam Smith once that young man fully matriculates through the system. Chicago will hopefully have addressed their systemic development failures by then, and with that in mind, I give you Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya as evidence. The one rookie producing at a clip that’s better than league average is Michael Busch, who honed his craft with the Dodgers.

Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins are at the epicenter of Chicago’s failures. The two deserve credit for stacking the rosters at South Bend, Tennessee, and Iowa, but that means nothing if the team’s prospects peak before reaching the majors. One would expect the dynamic duo to start peddling relievers in what is a very robust seller’s market. I’d give them props if they could flip overachieving reclamation projects like Tyson Miller and Jorge López for a couple of stable assets saddled with multiyear club control. This deadline will be a disaster if Morel is the only Cub to leave the Friendly Confines.

Let me close by being a little conspiratorial, or at least speculative. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Dodgers and Yankees staged quite the bidding war for Paredes before he was traded to the Cubs. Both teams (and the Astros) are still looking for a third baseman, so one should reasonably expect those front offices to contact Hoyer about Parades. Trading Morel makes no sense if Hoyer continues to block Smith, Matt Shaw, and James Triantos. Outfield prospect Spencer Jones of the Yankees is the type of athletic lefty masher Chicago desperately needs. Pairing Paredes with an infield prospect might be enough to get it done.

By the way, Nightengale also mentioned that the Dodgers are pursuing a trade for Nico Hoerner, but Paredes may be a better fit now that they’ve acquired Tommy Edman. Los Angeles is currently without Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, and Miguel Rojas. Stay tuned.

Cubs News & Notes

Odds & Sods

“Ladies and gentlemen, referee Mills Lane stops the bout at two minutes 35 seconds of the second round. The winner by a TKO…Mike Tyson.”

Yes, James McCann is a legend.

Central Intelligence

Deadline Dispatch

Happy Deadline Day to those who celebrate.

The White Sox, Dodgers, and Cardinals agreed on a monster three-team trade yesterday. St. Louis received Pham, Erick Fedde, and cash from the White Sox, plus a PTBNL or cash from Los Angeles. Chicago also sent Michael Kopech to the Dodgers, who also received Edman and Oliver Gonzalez from the Cardinals. The White Sox acquired third baseman Miguel Vargas plus minor leaguers Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez, and a PTBNL or cash, all from Los Angeles.

Houston and Toronto announced a trade sending Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi to the Astros for rookie righty Jake Bloss, outfielder/first baseman Joey Loperfido, and minor league infielder Will Wagner.

The Guardians have landed outfielder Lane Thomas in a trade with the Nationals, both teams announced. A trio of prospects — left-hander Alex Clemmey and infielders José Tena and Rafael Ramírez — are going back to Washington.

Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson are headed back to the Braves. The Giants sent both players to Atlanta for Tyler Matzek and minor league infielder Sabin Ceballos.

The Mets are looking for bullpen help and have inquired about Tanner Scott of the Marlins.

New York is also engaged with the White Sox for John Brebbia.

The Pirates, Yankees, and Astros are in the mix for Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz.

Pittsburgh did make a trade with the Rockies yesterday, acquiring reliever Jalen Beeks for pitching prospect Luis Peralta.

What about Bob? More from Nightengale:

  • Former All-Star catcher A.J. Pierzynski has quietly emerged as a serious candidate to manage the White Sox in 2025 if they dismiss manager Pedro Grifol after the season, as expected.
  • The A’s have informed teams they may trade only reliever Lucas Erceg at the deadline.
  • The Tigers plan on trading starter Jack Flaherty but will remind teams they need to offer a better deal because they plan to extend Flaherty a qualifying offer after the season.
  • The Angels are getting plenty of action on starter Tyler Anderson.
  • The Padres badly need another starter if they’re going to reach the postseason.
  • There’s also this revelation via Twitter this morning: The White Sox believe that starter Garrett Crochet likely will be moved today, and that center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (who has drawn little interest) will be staying.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscriber content) has some intriguing stuff to share this morning:

  • The demand for starting pitching is so intense that the White Sox might get their price for Crochet despite concerns about his availability for the postseason.
  • Grifol could be dismissed once GM Chris Getz is done stripping his roster to the floorboards. The White Sox (27-82) have lost 15 straight games, continue to piss off former player-manager Ozzie Guillén, and are on a pace to finish 40-122, which would be the worst record since MLB went to 162-game seasons.
  • At least eight teams are looking for rotation upgrades today.
  • No one should be surprised if the Orioles, Yankees, and Red Sox all make multiple deals.
  • The Rangers, Pirates, Yankees, and Red Sox are among the clubs that still want to add offense.
  • Every team eying a shot at the postseason is looking for bullpen help.

Extra Innings

…And “Boom” goes the dynamite!

They Said It

  • “I understand [Taillon’s] name has been mentioned, so you can link it. And when you see your name, you’re going to think about it. That’s real, for sure. But Jame-o knows he’s got a job to do. And I expect him to be here tomorrow.” – Counsell
  • “A tough time to be on Twitter and see everything. It’s a time in baseball when teams go out and try to get better or rebuild or whatever, so there’s naturally a lot going on. As a fan of the game, it’s exciting to see. As a guy who can be personally affected by it, it’s definitely a little bit different.” – Taillon

Tuesday Walk-Up Song

Deadline day is tough on a lot of players, but I’d like to see Taillon stay.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterJuly 30, 2024
Back to top button