Chicago Cubs News: Non-Tender deadline, Christopher Morel, and more

There should be some movement across Major League Baseball today as the non-tender deadline is tonight at 6 pm CST.

As a reminder, teams such as the Chicago Cubs have until tonight to tender any arbitration-eligible player without a contract for the 2024 season on the 40-man roster a contract. If the team declines to offer the aforementioned player a contract before the deadline, they will become a free agent immediately.

For the Cubs, let's remind ourselves of the team's arbitration-eligible players, thanks to our friends at MLB Trade Rumors.

"Codi Heuer (4.000): $785K
Nick Madrigal (3.163): $1.9MM
Mike Tauchman (3.143): $2MM
Julian Merryweather (3.109): $1.3MM
Patrick Wisdom (3.058): $2.6MM
Adbert Alzolay (3.050): $2.5MM
Mark Leiter Jr. (3.031): $1.6MM
Justin Steele (2.143): $4.1MM"

MLB Trade Rumors

Justin Steele, Julian Merryweather, and Adbet Alzolay are not in jeopardy of being non-tendered. Mark Leiter Jr. is probably in that group as well but he is not a lock like the others.

All eyes will be on Patrick Wisdom as his strikeout woes last season led to him having scarce playing time during the second half of the season.

Mike Tauchman and Nick Madrigal will be close calls as Tauchman, OPS+ under 100 during the final two months of the season, and Madrigal, injury-prone, have a hefty projected salary given the roles they would likely be in for the 2024 season.

Could the Chicago Cubs trade Christopher Morel for Pete Alonso straight up?

Jesse Rogers of ESPN was chalkful of information on what the Chicago Cubs have planned next with the biggest involving the team's pursuit of Shohei Ohtani and the chances of Cody Bellinger returning in 2024.

Rogers also had a note on how the Cubs likely use Christopher Morel as a centerpiece in a potential deal for first baseman Pete Alonso if Alonso is made available by the New York Mets this off-season. To which, we say, trading Morel for a generational talent such as Juan Soto could be justifiable but a straight-up trade for Alonso likely would be an overpay on the Cubs' part.

New Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell has a remarkable Pat Hughes story.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell was once a commissioner in a basketball league that featured Cubs' radio voice, Pat Hughes. Counsell wants you to know that Counsell gets buckets.