David Bote's hot start to Cubs Spring Training is a showcase for other teams

The Chicago Cubs have an opening at the third base position as they prepare for the 2023 season and it would seem that the team is giving every opportunity to Nick Madrigal to prove that he is capable of playing the position in an everyday capacity.

One player that has seldom been mentioned as an option for the Cubs at third base is David Bote. Since the end of the 2022 Major League Baseball regular season, Bote has been stuck in no man's land. Bote was outrighted from the team's 40-man roster this offseason but given the five-year, $16MM extension he signed with the team prior to the 2020 season, he would remain with the organization.

Bote is participating in Cubs' Spring Training with the Major League camp and is off to a hot start. Bote has 5 hits in his first 8 at-bats this Spring to go along with a double and 4 RBI.

The hot start that Bote has had to Spring Training has led to an uptick in conversation regarding whether or not the utility man might force the Cubs to add him back to the 40-man roster and create a spot for him on the Opening Day roster.

That discussion shouldn't go far. While Bote will always be remembered for his walk-off Grand Slam against the Washington Nationals in 2018, the fact of the matter is that he is a fringe Major League player at best. Not to mention, there may be disappointment from the Cubs' organization as Bote did not participate in a Fall/Winter league after being moved off the 40-man roster this offseason. 8 at-bats in Spring Training should not alter the evaluation that can be made on Bote over the course of the past three seasons.

The best-case scenario for Bote and the Cubs is that the 29-year-old can continue to find success this Spring to the point where the Cubs are able to trade him before Opening Day for a player that could be more valuable to the organization.