With the trade deadline now passed, every player that was moved is now making their debut for their newest teams. The Cubs obviously got rid of two of their players with one being Mark Leiter Jr., while the other more notable being Christopher Morel. Morel made his season debut with the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, and let’s just say Morel is off to a hot start.
In Morel’s first two games as a Ray, he has managed to hit a home run in each of his first two starts, causing a discourse of discussion already across the Cubs fanbase with the fact that they traded Morel.
In what was seen as a shocking move to most Cubs fans, the team traded what was once one of their more notable young pieces in return for a 2024 All-Star, Isaac Paredes. The move took the baseball world by storm, not only because no one really expected the Cubs to move Morel, but also because the Cubs were buying talent at the deadline. The Cubs also traded pitchers Hunter Bigge and Ty Johnson as part of the deal, but it ultimately felt like a one-for-one trade for Morel and Paredes.
But ultimately the move was exactly what Hoyer’s vision was going into the deadline. While the team is basically all but wiped out of contention for 2024, he was more focused on making moves that would impact the team in 2025 and beyond. That is exactly what you will be getting with Paredes, a guy that is under control through the 2027 season and already pretty established across his Major League career.
Something of note though, that continues a wacky trend of not only Cubs players, but players across Major League Baseball is players hitting home runs in their first game with their newest team. Morel joins a list of moves made by Jed Hoyer of former Cubs to hit a home run in their first game with a new team after being traded. That list includes Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez, all who hit home runs in their first game with new teams when they were shipped off during the 2021 trade deadline.
Morel might be off to a hot start, but the move ultimately makes sense for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs moving forward. The Morel project wasn’t ultimately working in Chicago. While the 40+ home run potential is undeniable, he just was not getting the results that the Cubs needed at the plate. Plus, Morel had been with the big league club for nearly two and a half years, and still could not find a firm position anywhere across the diamond. While he was finding a home at third base, the results were still shaky, and they are trading for a player in Paredes who is a much better third baseman and an already established Major Leaguer at the same age as Morel at 25 years old.
This move will definitely continued to be looked over across the years as Paredes and Morel will continue to be judged based on one another. Morel was a fan favorite in Chicago, and people wanted nothing more then to see him succeed, but ultimately with the Paredes move, the Cubs as a team feel much better and could be setting themselves up form even more success in the future.
