3 pieces the Chicago Cubs need to acquire to contend

It was a joyous day at Wrigley Field on Friday and a touch more than usual for a 1:20 matinee to start the weekend.

After much commotion and a bit of waiting, the Chicago Cubs finally called up No. 6 prospect Matt Mervis, a hard-hitting first baseman signed as an undrafted free agent out of Duke University in 2020.

He made his MLB debut on Friday, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single for his first MLB hit.

Mervis has mashed his way through the minor leagues, clubbing 51 home runs in 234 games while posting a .276/.361/.529 slash line including 21 home runs and a .293/.387/.573 showing at Triple-A.

The 6’2″, 225-pound first baseman has been compared offensively to Anthony Rizzo, though his defense needs a bit of work. He’s a stark contrast with the glove compared to Rizzo, who won four Gold Gloves in his career on the North Side.

It also was the second MLB debut in as many days for Cubs prospects, as catcher Miguel Amaya made his debut on Thursday in a 4-3 loss to the Washington Nationals. Amaya went 0-for-2 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

The Chicago Cubs need to make numerous moves if they plan to compete.

Amaya is ranked as the Cubs No. 14 prospect according to MLB.com. With the arrivals of Mervis and Amaya, let’s break down three moves that the Cubs need to make in order to contend: