What to do with Nick Madrigal? |
When the Cubs traded Craig Kimbrel to the Southside in exchange for Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer, the organization was understandably excited for what those two players could mean for the Cubs' future.
Heuer, for one, was a very active arm with bat missing type of stuff — the kind of guy who figures to be a part of the back end of your bullpen for the future. But Heuer has been sidelined with an injury and has not pitched since 2021. As for Madrigal, the Cubs thought they were getting a perennial .290 plus hitter — the type of guy who fixes both their leadoff problem and will slot nicely next to Nico Hoerner up the middle. Madrigal himself has struggled on the field and battled numerous injuries. When the Cubs signed Dansby Swanson, Hoerner slid to second base, which left Nick Madrigal positionless. Ahead of the 2023 season, the Cubs began to shift Madrigal to third base for exploration. Although Patrick Wisdom and Christopher Morel would potentially log jam that spot as well, it at least gave him an avenue to playing time that 2B or SS would not guarantee. Madrigal responded by becoming an above-average defensive third baseman and having his best offensive season as a Cub. The former Oregon State Beaver had just four errors in over 560 innings, truly impressing as a third baseman. The Cubs were 34-27 in games he started at 3rd base — and Madrigal hit .263, which is not entirely up to par with what the Cubs expected but certainly an improvement from 2022. Madrigal earned his place in the Cubs lineup even when Jeimer Candelario was acquired — but an injury, as has been the case for the majority of his career, derailed his season. Now, the Cubs enter the offseason with many question marks about what to do with Nick Madrigal. Shortstop and Secondbase still belong to Swanson and Hoerner, respectively — and will for the foreseeable future. As for third base, Jeimer Candelario, who was acquired to address the Cubs 3rd base woes offensively, has signed with the Cincinnati Reds via free agency. Clearly, the Cubs believe that third base is an area in which they can improve — but that doesn’t change the fact that Madrigal and Patrick Wisdom are on this team and that Christopher Morel is pining for an everyday role that very well could be at third base. It appears apparent that Madrigal is not a part of any significant, long-term plans in the Cubs’ eyes, but that doesn’t mean he can not play a role in 2024. The Cubs obviously like the bat; that's why you acquired a player of Madrigal’s caliber in the first place. He does not have much power, but he consistently puts the ball in play and rarely strikes out — a bit of a lost art in today’s day and age. That can play on any team, and we know the defense is something the Cubs appreciate and other teams search for. At the very least, Madrigal can come off the bench as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement late in games — at the largest; he is their starting third baseman. With guys like Matt Chapman — whom the Cubs have been linked to — and others still available, it is unknown if the Cubs plan to make a splash; perhaps that is unlikely given the Cubs offseason to this point. Craig Counsell and the Cubs have also made it apparent that they would like to get Christopher Morel in the lineup, but it also seems evident that they don’t trust him at third base and have explored other avenues to make him an everyday player. So, at the very least, that leaves Madrigal a window to earn the third base job again, at least until further notice. When you encompass the defensive factor, Madrigal is the Cubs organization’s current best option for third base if the season were to start tomorrow. The fact of the matter is that Madrigal does have value. The question, however, becomes whether the Cubs believe he has the most value to their club in 2024 or the trade market.
