The Chicago Cubs added one of the biggest bats available at this summer’s trade deadline. The Cubbies acquire All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes from the Tampa Bay Rays, reports ESPN. Tampa will host Christopher Morel and top prospects Hunter Bigge and Ty Johnson, according to The Athletic. Neither team has announced an agreement.
Paredes played in Tampa’s win over the Cincinnati Reds earlier on Sunday (TB 2, CIN 1) and went 0 for 2 with a walk. The 25-year-old is hitting .245/.357/.435 in 16 home games this season, despite a slump over the past month or so. He was a member of the Rays’ All-Star team earlier this month. This is a long-term addition for Chicago — Paredes will remain under team control as a player eligible for contention until 2027.
For Paredes, this trade brings him full circle. He originally signed with the Cubs as an international free agent from Mexico in 2015 and began his professional career in their farm system. Chicago traded him, along with Jeimer Candelario, to the Detroit Tigers for Alex Avila and Justin Wilson at the 2017 trade deadline. Paredes was in Low-A at the time.
Paredes broke into the big leagues with Detroit and has been up and down since 2020-2021. He was traded to the Rays in a championship game deal for Austin Meadows before Opening Day 2022. In Tampa, Paredes exploded when they made him focus on pulling the ball. He is the most prolific fly-ball player (at least 200 plate appearances):
- Isaac Paredes: 23.7% pull fly balls
- Anthony Santander: 21.3%
- Jake Bowers: 21.0%
- Rhys Hoskins: 19.8%
- Danny Jansen: 19.6%
Statcast’s park data says that Wrigley Field hits home runs to 97% of the league average for right-handed hitters, so it’s not a great place for right-handed power hitters (Tropicana Field raises the homer accuracy at 103% league average). That said, Wrigley Field can play like an extreme home park one day and an extreme park the next depending on the wind.
It’s clear the Cubs believe Paredes’ aggressive style will translate well to Wrigley Field, and they’ve acquired a capable third baseman on defense. They moved Morel to a third full-time season this year and, to be honest, it was a disaster. He ranks last among all players at every position with 12-over average. Tampa figures to move him to first base or DH.
Morel, 25 years old, gives off great energy. He is ranked among the league leaders in hitting over his young career, and is slashing .199/.302/.372 with 18 homers this season. It’s possible that, once the Rays move him from third base and can focus more on his bat than his glove, Morel will blossom as a hitter. He is under the control of the club until 2028.
The Rays have had interest in Morel for a long time. His name came up in rumors this past year when the Cubs and Rays were discussing Tyler Glasnow. Tampa eventually sent Glasnow to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a package led by Ryan Pepiot, although it is clear that their interest in Morel remained. Now they have reached their phone.
Bigge, 26, made the MLB debut earlier this year, and has a 1.17 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 15 1/3 minor league innings. He’s considering stepping into the Tampa bullpen. Baseball America did not rank Johnson, 22, among Chicago’s top 30 prospects in their midseason update. The 2023 15th round pick has a 3.54 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 61 innings at Single-A this season.
Paredes is the latest outfielder the Rays have traded as part of their trade fire season. Outfielder Randy Arozarena went to the Seattle Mariners, starter Zach Eflin went to the Baltimore Orioles, and reliever Jason Adam went to the San Diego Padres. First baseman Yandy Díaz and closer Pete Fairbanks could be next door.
The Cubs enter Sunday in the NL Central vault at 50-56. They are six games out of a wild card spot. The Cubs are likely to be buying and selling before Tuesday’s trade deadline. They added Paredes for the long haul, but they could also move starter Jameson Taillon or tools like Mark Leiter Jr. and Hector Neris.
As for the Rays, they are 54-52 and just 3.5 games back of the wild card spot. It is clear, however, that they believe they need to be restructured and have chosen to sell at the appointed time.
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