KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel stood at the end of the visitor’s dugout at Kauffman Stadium, his arm around assistant athletic trainer German Suncin’s shoulders, sharing parting words with Cubs staff members in the bottom of the third inning Sunday.
He had just been traded to the Rays as part of the package for All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes. The Cubs also sent relief prospect Hunter Bigge and right-handed minor-leauge pitcher Ty Johnson to the Rays.
Paredes, 25, doesn’t hit free agency until after the 2027 season, keeping with president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer’s stated goal of making moves with 2025 and beyond in mind.
The Cubs were plenty familiar with Paredes, who signed with the organization out of Mexico as an international amateur free agent in 2015. They traded him two years later, along with Jeimer Candelario, to the Tigers for Alex Avila and Justin Wilson.
Because Paredes is under team control for so many years, the Cubs had to give up three young players to land him.
Morel is the highlight. And though he’s had a down offensive season from a production standpoint, batting .199 with a .675 OPS, the Cubs could pitch the upside reflected in his expected numbers. He’s made plenty of hard contact right to defenders, resulting in a better xWOBA entering Sunday (.346) than last year (.340).
