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3. There aren't many free agent options
For the next few years, there are not many notable third basemen hitting free agency. After this season, Matt Chapman will be available assuming the Blue Jays do not offer him a contract extension. He will be 30 years old at the end of this year, meaning he is on the wrong side of 30 and will demand a hefty long-term contract if he continues to hit well. The only other options this upcoming offseason are Jeimer Candelario and Evan Longoria which cannot be considered serious additions to a competing team.
Alex Bregman will hit free agency in 2025 and Yoan Moncada in 2026. Manny Machado and Rafael Devers were recently locked up by the Padres and Red Sox respectively virtually every other star third baseman has been locked up by their teams. Unless the Cubs want to wait to snag one of those guys years from now or stumble into a blockbuster trade, Morel should start being seriously considered now while the team still has time to develop him into a consistent producer.