The Chicago Cubs are contenders in 2023.
They have a 71-62 record and are three games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central lead.
Two years ago, if you don’t remember, they were clear rebuilders and were behind the most shocking pre-deadline sale we have seen in a while.
They traded Craig Kimbrel, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and several relievers and reserves.
The Bryant trade brought the Cubs right-hander Caleb Kilian and outfielder Alexander Canario.
The time is now for Canario to make his MLB debut after finishing his development in the minors.
“September call up news: The Cubs are promoting outfielder Alexander Canario, sources tell ESPN. Canario, 23, has recovered from some bad injuries and caught fire recently at Triple-A. He has an .866 OPS in 36 games this season at Iowa. He’ll be making his MLB debut when he plays. Canario was acquired in 2021 in the trade that sent Kris Bryant to the Giants,” MLB insider Jesse Rogers reported.
Canario was acquired in 2021 in the trade that sent Kris Bryant to the Giants. https://t.co/nKmZgRPj7Y
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 31, 2023
Canario is 23 years old and has 56 games of Triple-A experience between last year and the 2023 season.
This year, he slashed .276/.342/.524 with eight homers in 36 games in Triple-A.
Injuries limited his workload, but he looked ready for a shot at the bigs.
He is a powerful outfielder with swing-and-miss issues, but with potential to hit 25-30 homers per year over a full season in a best-case scenario.
He also has some speed and knows how to take a walk.
Strikeouts can be a problem, though, so that would be his first test in MLB: cutting them some.
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