With Mervis and Morel playing well in Iowa, Cubs have tough decisions ahead
While the Cubs lost for the third time in four games to the Dodgers on Sunday, Matt Mervis was going 3-for-5 with 3 RBI for Iowa.
The Mervis Report figures to continue indefinitely and evolve into the Mervis Dilemma, if it hasn't already.
Mervis is hitting .288 at Triple A Iowa and is second in the International League with 21 RBI in 18 games. His walk-to-strikeout ratio is nearly even, with 14 walks and 16 whiffs. Last year, he posted the best numbers for a Cubs minor-leaguer since Kris Bryant in 2014.
It's a similar situation for Christopher Morel, who is making Triple A look easy. Morel is hitting .333 with 7 home runs and a ridiculous OPS of 1.214, and has hit safely in 15 of the 18 games he's played.
So when will the time be right for Mervis and Morel to move on up to Wrigley Field?
It's too early in the season for the Cubs to make a drastic lineup change, especially when they're off to a decent start. For most of the winter, it appeared Mervis would be the opening day starter at first base. But president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer loves bargain shopping and he landed two veteran options in Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini in the weeks before spring training began.
There's a conceivable scenario where things go so well for the Cubs, Mervis spends the entire season in Triple A. But problems like this have a tendency to work themselves out. One pulled muscle and Mervis or Morel could find himself in the Cubs starting lineup by the end of this week.
When the opening day roster was set, the Cubs seemed to create the possibility of future moves. Three additions were a bit surprising: Miles Mastrobuoni, Luis Torrens and Edwin Rios. Mastrobuoni was sent to Iowa when Seiya Suzuki came off the injured list and, in hindsight, Nelson Velazquez probably would have been the better option to fill in.
Rios is off to a rough start, going 1-for-16 in limited appearances. The one hit was a home run.
Torrens' situation is trickier, because he's the Cubs' third catcher, has five years of MLB experience and may not accept a demotion to Iowa if asked. Things are fine now, but an injury to catcher Yan Gomes might be the Cubs' worst-case scenario.
P.J. Higgins is playing in Triple A for Arizona now, so who would be the Cubs' next catcher if it's not Torrens? Most likely Dom Nunez, who spent parts of three seasons with Colorado, but is hitting .182 in Iowa right now.
Without an injury, the feeling here is the Cubs will keep the status quo at least into June. Hosmer is the best defensive option at first base, and Mancini is signed for two seasons, although he reportedly can opt out if he reaches 350 plate appearances. So if the Cubs bench Mancini, they'd for sure have to pay him $7 million next season.
Neither veteran first baseman has stood out at the plate. Hosmer is hitting .241, Mancini .232, with a combined 3 home runs. Ultimately, the Cubs may have to decide if there's a better chance of making the playoffs with Mervis and Morel in the lineup. In theory, they could use some combination of Morel, Mervis and Patrick Wisdom to cover first, third and DH.
Mervis, 25, has yet to make his major league debut, so no one knows how that will go. But he could also make a nice pennant-race addition, before opponents figure out the best way to pitch him.
Morel's strikeout rate is still elevated, but he's drawing a decent number of walks at Iowa. As demonstrated last year, he tends to make things happen even if in a slump.
It's hard to picture the best version of the Cubs not including Morel. But Mancini and Hosmer both own World Series rings. Are they better options in high-pressure situations? Would they do OK in supporting roles? Hard to say.
A change in the starting rotation should be a few weeks away. When Kyle Hendricks is ready to go, he's going to start. That could mean Hayden Wesneski going to the minors to iron out his mechanics, but he should get two or three more starts before a decision needs to be made.
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