3 Chicago Cubs players that are doomed after the hire of Craig Counsell

Overlooking the Chicago Cubs roster and determining the three most likely candidates to be moved after the hire of Craig Counsell.

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With the hiring of Craig Counsell on Monday as their manager, the Chicago Cubs have officially put the league on notice that they are going to take an aggressive approach this offseason. Appearing poised to make a strong push this winter, persisting trade scenarios and free agent rumors will arise. Who will land on the Cubs this winter remains to be seen, but other questions now arise as well.

With all the attention being placed upon who will be added to the roster this winter, we’re forgetting what else that means. Certain players on the Cubs will not be around next season. It’s still way too early to know who the Cubs will go after more than others. With recent rumors of the Cubs looking to be aggressive for Shohei Ohtani, the biggest fish in the pond, it’s obvious that no one is not in the conversation this winter. Therefore, let’s take a look at three players on the team that are doomed now that Craig Counsell is in town. 

3 players on the Cubs that are doomed - 3. Patrick Wisdom

After finishing the season in mostly a bench role, with the occasional start against left-handed pitching, Patrick Wisdom feels like the odd man out once the Cubs need any type of roster spot moving forward. There is some pop in his bat, but the strikeout percentage and inability to play a position give him little trade value. 

Defensively, Wisdoms Outs Above Average and Runs Prevented (-8 OOA, -6 RP) were the worst among all Cubs in 2023. Couple that with the struggle to bat .200 and insufficient playing time, Wisdom seems likely to be a DFA candidate before the Cubs roll out their official 40-man roster to begin the 2024 campaign. 

3 players on the Cubs that are doomed - 2. Nick Madrigal 

All in all, it wasn’t a bad season for Nick Madrigal. Although he manned third base better than expected, the fact is that we saw his ceiling at the position, and the Cubs need an upgrade at the hot corner. Remembering that Madrigal is a second baseman, and only shifted to third base because the Cubs needed him to, shows that he was never the club's favorite optionin the first place. 

Making matters worse, Madrigal finds himself on the IL more than the team can feel comfortable with in terms of relying on a player to man a position every day. Of course, 2020 was a shortened season, but Madrigal has yet to appear in more than 100 contests in the past three years. He makes good contact, but is not a long-tern solution at third base. He is a tradeable asset that can be used as part of a trade package to bring back and upgrade of talent. 

3 players on the Cubs that are doomed - 1. Christopher Morel

Last but not least, we come to Christopher Morel. Although he has the most upside of any player on this list, at still just 23 years old, Morel is a serious trade candidate who is almost too easy to envision being moved if the Cubs make a splash in the trade market. After a solid sophomore season which saw Morel blast 26 homers, he still finds himself without a true permanent position to play. 

Spending time at multiple positions, however, is an asset a lot of teams have to wish they had more of. The Cubs, of course are looking to make abig splash via trade this winter, and Morel turns more into a casualty of Jed Hoyer upgrading the roster, rather than Morel not being a good player. If the Cubs do land a superstar in the trade market, don’t be surprised if Morel is one from the major league roster to go. 

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