The Cubs and Rays lined up an eye-opening trade before the deadline, as well Isaac Paredes on his way to Chicago. Christopher Morel and the right hand The Great Hunter again Ty Johnsonincludes a three-player package headed to Tampa Bay on the other side of the deal.
Paredes has been a popular figure in trade rumors in recent days, with teams like the Dodgers, Astros, Rangers, and Mariners all linked to the All-Star. Instead, the suitor surprisingly won the bidding, as Paredes will go to a Cubs team that sits in last place in the NL Central with a 50-56 record.
Still, it's hardly surprising that the Cubs made such a bold move, as the team is clearly aiming to compete in 2025 after stumbling through its disappointing results this year. President of baseball Jed Hoyer said earlier this week that the Cubs' deadline will be made to look to compete next season instead of running too late now, even though Paredes is strengthening Chicago's lineup right now.
There's also a long-term relationship at play, since Paredes began his professional career as an international signee for the Cubs back in 2015. He was moved along with Jeimer Candelario to the Tigers at the 2017 deadline in a trade that brought Alex Avila again Justin Wilson to Chicago, and Paredes made his MLB debut in a Detroit uniform in 2020.
Acquired in a trade with the Tigers at the start of the 2022 season, Paredes emerged as a very productive regular in his three years in Tampa. He has a wRC+ of 129 over his 1377 plate appearances in a Rays uniform, highlighted by a 31-homer season in 2023 and an All-Star appearance this year. Despite the recent slump, Paredes is still hitting .247/.355/.438 with 16 home runs this season, across 425 PA while getting regular work at both corner positions.
Most of that work has come at third base, and Paredes figures to take over for Morel at the hot corner at Wrigley Field. Paredes' glovework as a third midfielder was more solid than the forward, yet even the central defense is a big improvement from Morel, whose struggles on the pitch have been well-documented. Right-handed hitter Paredes can also spell Michael Busch (lefty-swinger) at first when the strong southpaw is on the mound, and Paredes has good experience at second base, although the Rays have only used him in the corner infield spots in 2024. On paper, however, the Cubs already have their starting infield set for 2025, with Paredes at third, Busch at first, Nico Hoerner on second base, too Dansby Swanson in a short time.
Midfielders Matt Shaw again James Triantos they are two of Chicago's top prospects, so their arrival in a year or two could shake up the Cubs' internal image and perhaps when Paredes finally gets around the diamond. Perhaps the most important aspect of today's trade, the Cubs have plenty of time to figure this all out, as Paredes is under arbitration control through the 2027 season. Paredes is earning a $3.4MM salary this year, the first of four arb-eligible seasons with his Super Two status.
Even though Paredes was just beginning his journey through the arb process, that inflated price tag certainly factored into the Rays' decision to part with a controllable, productive player who is only 25 years old. Since payroll is always a concern in Tampa, the Rays have never shied away from trading a player before his price tag becomes too much for the organization, as part of the Rays' ongoing churn to replace high-priced players with cheaper options who can provide the same. or better production.
This strategy has been on full display since early July, as Tampa Bay has now moved Paredes, Randy Arozarena, Jason Adam, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civaleagain Phil Maton four weeks ago. This blitz of trade figures will continue until the July 30 deadline, with names like Yandi Diaz again Pete Fairbanks they are also mentioned as potential trade entrants. All of these moves have come despite the Rays still playing solid baseball, as their 54-52 record is just 3.5 games out of the final AL wild card.
The hope of a star Little Caminero he is expected to see more time in the majors this season, and would have been called up had his minor league season not been interrupted by injury. With Paredes traded, Caminero now has a clear path to regular playing time at third base, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Caminero in Tampa Bay later this week when the dust has fully settled from the team's deadline move.
Morel is in his third Major League season, but so far he has played every position except first base and catcher as the Cubs have tried to find a suitable way to fit Morel's bat into the lineup. Second base would be a more viable option for Morel now that he is no longer blocked by Hoerner, or the Rays could rotate him into their first base/DH combination.
Perhaps the first order of business is getting Morel's bat out of the way, as he's only hit .199/.302/.374 with 18 homers in 420 PA this season. Between this 93 wRC+ and his solid defensive number, Morel was a mediocre player in 2024, with -0.1 fWAR. It's bad luck for the 25-year-old, who hit a very respectable .241/.311/.471 with 42 homers in his first 854 MLB games.
There's almost always a swing and a miss in Morel's game, but even being a “true three-out” type of player has a lot of work to do if Morel can't keep drawing and putting the ball over the fence. The Rays also think a change of position would benefit Morel, or perhaps the team's staff could help him unlock more power (as has been done with Paredes and a number of other hitters who could come through Tampa's organization).
Bidge was a 12th-round pick out of Harvard in the 2019 draft, and he made his MLB debut this month, amassing a 2.70 ERA in his first 3 1/3 innings (over four appearances) for the Show. Bidge worked only as a reliever in his professional career, and posted a 4.25 ERA across 159 innings in the minors, with a whopping 30.42% strikeout rate but a 15.06% walk rate.
Control is the biggest obstacle preventing Bidge from realizing his full potential, as MLB Pipeline rates his cutter, slider, and fastball in the upper-90s all including pitches, and his curveball also has promise. However, Pipeline only ranks Birge 29th in its delivery of Chicago prospects, with those control issues in mind. Bidge has so much appeal that it's easy to see why the Rays would be interested, and given Tampa Bay's history of pitching, no one would be surprised if Bidge becomes a lethal bullpen weapon with his new team.
Johnson was the Cubs' 15th-round pick in the 2023 draft, and the Ball State product has a 3.54 ERA in 61 innings in 2024 (33 2/3 innings in A ball, and 27 1/3 innings in high-A. ). Starting 10 of his 18 games, Johnson also showed good ability to miss bats, with a 32.5% strikeout rate in his short professional career.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (X link) was the first to report that Paredes was headed to Chicago. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that the Rays acquired Morel as part of a three-player package, and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reported Bidge and Johnson as two other players.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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