ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 20: Pitcher Dallas Keuchel #60 and catcher Max Stassi #12 of the Houston Astros have a word on the mound during the eighth inning of their MLB game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on July 20, 2018 in Anaheim, California. The Astros defeated the Angels 3-1. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
The Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer and General Manager Carter Hawkins moderated a panel on baseball operations to start off day two of the 2024 Cubs Convention. Like previous year, Jon “Boog” Sciambi moderated the panel. This is an homage to the fans because, following the Cubs’ poor start to the offseason, he is by far the toughest questioner among the Cubs moderators for these panels. Tough questions were therefore appropriate for this panel.
Given that the new Cubs manager, Craig Counsell, doesn’t let many things go, it was a rather open discussion for this team.
We started off by talking about the 2023 squad. The bullpen ran out of gas and needed more depth, and those things were acknowledged. Additionally, Hoyer mentioned that because of injuries and bullpen usage, they are no longer able to get 950–1,000 innings out of their starting rotation as they once could.
Paul Dzien, who most of you know better as Crawly, is a longtime Cubs fan and season ticket holder. He inquired about Christopher Morel’s status on the 2024 Cubs squad, specifically the trade rumours that have been circling him. Carter Hawkins was briefed on part of this chat by Jed Hoyer, who advised taking this offseason’s rumours “with a pound of salt.” During an open time, he said that many of the rumours linking the Cubs to other teams were probably the product of agents trying to make connections instead of the Cubs front office, they refer their clientele to a large market team. Hawkins pointed out that José Ramírez of Cleveland was in a similar situation when he attempted to play shortstop but Francisco Lindor prevented him. Before pointing out that they needed to find a spot for Morel to play, Hawkins gushed over the bat and his raw tools. However, the bat needed to be in the lineup at least at designated hit time.
Readers who have followed Bleed Cubbie Blue for a long time are aware of my love for Christopher Morel, so reading Hawkins compare him to a player like Ramírez—who has been among baseball’s best hitters for years—gave me some comfort in knowing that, should Morel be traded at some point, the front office is aware that the return would have to be enormous.
The next query came from a fan who wanted to know how Cody Bellinger was doing and whether there was any way to ease the burden of fans over the offseason. Jed mentioned that the posting window deadline from Japan was probably the reason the Shōta Imanaga agreement worked out, and he volunteered to sign the petition first if there was a deadline for signatures. Carter joked that their wives would concur too. After that, Jed Hoyer went full circle to confront Bellinger, stating, “We loved having him and we’ll see,” as his self-described response.
To chuckles from the crowd, a young fan asked whether the Cubs would sign Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger, just in case anyone was disappointed with the lack of response. As Jed moved into a discussion about how smaller markets may sometimes present those possibilities with a little less pressure, and how surprising three-win seasons frequently result from opportunity, fans didn’t have a better sense of when Hoyer and Scott Boras were going to deal. Though perhaps they could get a big hitter at the same time, I think the Cubs will allow some of those possibilities.
