Christopher Morel’s positional future remains unknown, and the Chicago Cubs are OK with that.

Beyond upgrading the Cubs’ roster, one of the organization’s most pressing questions entering the offseason centered on Morel.

He possesses the tools and athleticism to play multiple positions, something the 24-year-old has become accustomed to through his first two big-league seasons. In October, during his end-of-season news conference, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said figuring out Morel’s positional future and how to best utilize him would be something the Cubs needed to evaluate leading up to 2024.

Four weeks before camp begins in Mesa, Ariz., the Cubs are keeping an open mind on where Morel will slot in defensively as they look for ways to keep his electric bat in the lineup.

“We’re going to have to at some point decide where we focus a lot of the work on with Christopher,” manager Craig Counsell said Saturday. “And we might get that wrong at the start, but his versatility is something that is going to get him on the field that I think gives the team a floor if that makes sense, like where if something doesn’t go the way you want it or maybe the way you planned it originally that you can make an adjustment and have a lot of options there.

“That’s what versatile players do and that’s what I think Christopher is going to do for the Cubs.”

Morel got work at first base in the Dominican Republic where he played winter ball, though he didn’t log any game action at the position and predominantly started at third base. The pregame work and video the Cubs received was productive, general manager Carter Hawkins said Saturday.

“We’re excited to see how that plays out,” Hawkins said. “But from an athletic standpoint, I mean, if you can play shortstop from a hand standpoint, you should be able to play first and he definitely shows that.”

Third base would seem be the ideal position for Morel to take over, pending any further offseason moves. He’s shown flashes of defensive greatness but also struggles at times with routine plays and consistency on his throws. Morel, who was not at the Cubs Convention over the weekend because of visa issues according to an Instagram story on his account, started only two games and played 39 1/3 total innings at third base in 2023.

So why not play Morel at third every day in spring training to see whether he can handle it?

“I mean, you could put all our chips in one spot or we can put half our chips in one and the other,” Hawkins said. “I don’t know that one is a better answer or not. Our decision right now is to play him at multiple places and to the extent we feel like there’s better odds in one we’ll continue to put more chips there. But it’s just the strategic plan we have at this moment.”

Counsell agrees with the counterpoint to positional versatility: sticking at one position every day will make a player better at that position. However, the Cubs are thinking big picture when it comes to Morel and the team.

“That’s maybe a little bit of the sacrifice you make, but I’d argue you’re more valuable playing more positions and being versatile,” Counsell said. “Season to season, putting a team together, daily managing lineups, versatility is good for everybody I think.”

Ben Zobrist ‘very honored’ by Shōta Imanaga’s number choice

Shōta Imanaga wasn’t going to settle for any random jersey number after signing with the Cubs.

He had researched the franchise’s history and knew he wanted to wear No. 18 in hopes of embodying what former Cub Ben Zobrist meant on the field and in the clubhouse. Imanaga asked his agents at Octagon, which also represents Zobrist, to give the 2016 World Series MVP a heads-up about his choice.

The significance was not lost on Zobrist.

“Coming from an honor culture that means a lot,” Zobrist said of the Japanese lefty. “That was probably personally what I felt most honored by was that comment, just because of course that would be something that I’d want to be known for from my time here. So the fact that he gathered that based on his research, it’s a big honor.”

Zobrist participated in a panel Saturday featuring the 2016 World Series team, joining former teammates Justin Grimm, Kyle Hendricks, Miguel Montero and Pedro Strop on stage at Cubs Convention.

“It’s beautiful to be able to come back and be a part of Cubs Nation and to be recognized as one of the guys that helped the team win the World Series in ’16,” said Zobrist, who wore his championship ring. “It’s something that I’ll always get a chance to enjoy. … I can’t tell you how many times people have stopped and just said thank you to me and I just feel just super blessed that I got to be a part of it.”

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It was only a matter of when, not if, the Chicago Cubs would use their deep farm system to bolster their major-league roster.

On the heels of Japanese right-hander Shōta Imagana’s four-year deal becoming official Thursday, the Cubs addressed two more holes on their roster. They acquired 26-year-old infielder Michael Busch and right-handed reliever Yency Almonte from the Los Angeles Dodgers for two prospects: left-hander Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope.

Busch is a consensus top-50 prospect, but opportunities with the Dodgers were limited despite him crushing the ball at Triple A — he slugged .618 to complement a .323 average and .431 on-base percentage en route to being named Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player. The lefty slugger appeared in 27 games for the Dodgers.

Busch, a 2019 first-round pick, can play multiple positions, logging his most time at third base, second and first, making him an ideal fit at the corner infield positions for the Cubs. First base is a particularly notable opening for the Cubs. Lefty-slugging first baseman Matt Mervis got a look last season, but the 25-year-old struggled from May to mid-June during his six-week call-up and did not get another look.

By acquiring two cost-controllable players — Almonte won’t become a free agent until after next season while Busch isn’t arb-eligible until 2027 and free agent in 2030 ― keeping financial resources available to still spend on free agents this offseason.

Almonte, 29, brings six years of big-league experience to the Cubs bullpen. He had an inconsistent 2023, posting a 5.06 ERA in 49 games but pitched well in 2022 with a 1.02 ERA in 33 games. Almonte gives pitching coach Tommy Hottovy a lot to work with, starting with a fastball that averaged 95.9 mph and an overall whiff rate of 30.2%. Reducing his walks and improving effectiveness against lefties would help get Almonte back to his 2022 production.

The trade cost the Cubs high-upside talent in Ferris and Hope, but they net more help for a 2024 team with postseason aspirations by using their farm system’s deep talent pool to take advantage of a blocked player in other organization. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the front office still have more work to do but have found important building blocks between the Dodgers trade and Imanaga signing.

The Cubs also reached agreements with their six arbitration-eligible players ahead of Thursday night’s deadline, according to a source: left-hander Justin Steele ($4 million), right-hander Adbert Alzolay ($2.11 million), outfielder Nick Tauchman ($1.95 million), infielder Nick Madrigal ($1.81 million), Mark Leiter Jr. ($1.5 million) and right-hander Julian Merryweather ($1.175 million).

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DeMar DeRozan has never stopped looking for new layers to add to his game.

After 14 seasons in the NBA, DeRozan has a wealth of options in his toolbox. A pump fake that sends even the most veteran defenders skyward. A back-to-the-basket shimmy move that shakes open the perfect window of space to launch his midrange jumper. A sneaky swipe at the ball to pick off at least one steal each game.

But DeRozan knows the game is changing — and that he’s changing with it. And in his third season with the Chicago Bulls, DeRozan has found new ways to adapt himself to a roster that has refocused around point guard Coby White.

A six-time All-Star, DeRozan approaches any change to his role with an adaptability he feels has supported and defined his career.

“I try to go into everything open minded,” DeRozan, 34, said. “I never really tried to throw myself off mentally or to try to get caught up in thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got to change this, I’ve got to do that.’ If I go into things with an open mind, I can figure it out.”

It’s not a new DeRozan — maybe just a slightly updated version.

He still leads the team in scoring by a narrow margin, but his 22 points per game entering Saturday are his lowest since coming to Chicago. He’s taking only 6.7 attempts from inside the arc — his fewest since the 2014-15 season in Toronto. And while DeRozan will never abandon the midrange game that set him apart, he’s averaging the highest volume of shots behind the arc — 2.8 per game — of his career.

This shift has allowed DeRozan to find and feed teammates at a higher rate, averaging his highest rate of assists (5.3 per game) since joining the Bulls. And this has helped to boost the high-assist, high-movement offense the Bulls hope to succeed with.

“He’ll always be DeMar, but you can see that he’s trying to play a little different,” center Nikola Vučević said. “He’s not just another scorer. This year especially, he’s been letting some of the other guys lead the way and taking over later. Him being the leader that he is and having that experience and confidence in himself, he’s able to build that same experience and confidence in others.”

DeRozan always has felt it’s important to approach the game with a simple principle: He always has more to learn.

This is especially important for players as they progress in their career, losing the athleticism that might have powered their early success, especially in the air around the rim.

For DeRozan, this mindset was most important when he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, with whom he took more of a lead-guard role under coach Gregg Popovich. In Chicago, DeRozan’s growth has been more subtle.

“By the time I got here, I was 12 years in the league,” DeRozan said. “By the time I came here, I was just fine tuning on and off the court, as a professional, as a basketball player. I’m just completely rounding out my whole game, personality, understanding and IQ.”

DeRozan isn’t alone in this transition. Vučević similarly was asked to adapt his game from a primary scorer to a distributor with a high-shot volume while taking two fewer 3-point attempts per game than he did with the Orlando Magic.

It took Vučević nearly 18 months to embrace and adapt to the new role. But the payoff has been clear this season as the center serves to unlock the Bulls offensively.

“You appreciate it more the older you get,” Vučević said. “You know how difficult it is to change when you get older, when you’ve been doing something for so long, when you’re comfortable doing it that way. You have to get out of your comfort zone.”

On paper, this isn’t a banner season for DeRozan: He’s not scoring at his typical clip and likely will break a two-year streak of being named an All-Star. But his role has been instrumental in facilitating a breakout season for White while keeping the Bulls afloat amid LaVine’s absence.

And as he approaches the decision of whether to stay in Chicago on an extension, DeRozan feels this mindset is important in setting a standard with the team — he’s comfortable adapting and growing his game for a team as long as the result is wins.

“In my career, whatever’s asked of me, I try to do that to the best of my ability,” DeRozan said. “It gets to a point where it’s not just about you, it’s about the team. Whatever is asked from me from the team aspect, to make us better, to make the guys better, I’m all for it.”

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The Chicago Bears will take their act to the United Kingdom during the 2024 season as the team announced Thursday it will play a home game there.

A date and opponent have yet to be determined, but one of the Bears’ nine home games will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. It was the team’s turn to have a home game played overseas, something the Bears have not done previously.

“Every game the Chicago Bears play is rich in tradition, culture and passion,” Chairman George McCaskey said in a statement. “And every year, game after game, we look forward to welcoming fans to experience that richness. This year, we will take our storied franchise and tradition back to London and share internationally what our fans locally experience at every game. We are excited to join the many NFL teams who are expanding internationally to play a game in London during our 2024 season.”

With the introduction of the 17-game season in 2021, the NFL has rotated between AFC and NFC teams playing home games internationally. In 2023, five AFC teams played home games outside of the United States. The Bears are expected to be one of five NFC teams to have a home game moved this year.

More international games are likely coming. Last year NFL owners voted to increase the number to eight international games that could be played beginning in 2025. Owners also passed a resolution that could result in each team playing one international game every four years.

The Bears last went to the UK in 2019, when they lost to the Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — the first NFL game played at the soccer venue. The Bears defeated the Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in London in 2011. The Bears also played the Cowboys in London during the 1986 preseason.

The Bears have the UK and Spain as part of their Global Markets Program. The league has allowed teams to choose international spots to directly engage fans and partners.

The Bears have been very involved in Spain the last two years and the NFL might play games there in the future, but Sao Paolo, Brazil, was selected instead to host a game for the first time next season.

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