Cubs get 3B Isaac Paredes from Rays in exchange for Christopher Morel, 2 prospects

The Chicago Cubs added an All-Star hitter to their lineup as they try to remain within the Nationwide League wild-card playoff race.

Isaac Paredes is on his option to the Cubs from the Tampa Bay Rays, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports activities. The third baseman is batting .247 with a .793 OPS, 16 house runs, 19 doubles and 55 RBI in 425 plate appearances this season.

With this commerce, Paredes, 25, returns to the Cubs, who signed him as an beginner free agent out of Mexico in 2015. He performed two seasons in Chicago’s system earlier than being traded to the Detroit Tigers.

He’ll start his arbitration eligibility subsequent season, so the Cubs have management of him for 3 seasons after this one. Paredes is probably going not a short-term rental and ought to be Chicago’s third baseman for the close to future.

Buying and selling Paredes is the newest instance of the Rays dealing away key items earlier than the MLB commerce deadline after years of competition within the AL East. Earlier this week, Tampa Bay unloaded power-hitting outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners. The crew then traded pitcher Zach Eflin, who led the AL in wins final season, throughout the division to the Baltimore Orioles. Moreover, reliever Jason Adam was dealt to the San Diego Padres.

There are questions as to how Paredes’ power will play at Wrigley Discipline, however he brings some stability to the Cubs’ lineup as a extra dependable right-handed bat in the course of the order. He additionally gives some defensive versatility, having performed a number of positions across the infield throughout his profession.

In trade, the Rays will obtain third baseman Christopher Morel and minor-league pitchers Hunter Bigge and Ty Johnson, in keeping with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Tyler Kepner. Morel, 25, is batting .199 with a .676 OPS, 18 homers, 51 RBI and 7 stolen bases. With yet another season earlier than he is eligible for arbitration, the Rays can have 4 seasons of management over Morel, which is a serious consideration for them.

Bigge, 26, was referred to as as much as the majors earlier this month after compiling a 0.68 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings. He made 4 appearances for the Cubs, hanging out 5 in 3 1/3 innings. Johnson, 22, is in his first season {of professional} baseball and has superior from low-A to high-A. He has an 3.54 ERA total in 18 appearances (10 begins) with 81 strikeouts in 61 innings.

The Cubs entered Sunday six video games out of the NL’s final wild-card playoff spot, with 5 groups forward of them within the standings, together with three of their NL Central rivals. Whereas including Paredes might assist their possibilities this season, this additionally seems to be a transfer for the long run.

Why’d the Cubs do that?

It’s a curious transfer for the Cubs, who appear to be threading the needle between acknowledging that they’re unlikely to succeed in the postseason this yr and looking for methods to enhance the big-league membership for the not-so-distant future. Paredes provides an instantaneous improve at third base over Morel and is below crew management by way of 2027, however his acquisition prompts a number of questions on his personal profile and the bigger-picture plan for the Cubs infield.

For one, how will Paredes’ distinctive offensive strategy translate to Wrigley Discipline, in comparison with Tropicana Discipline? For these skeptical of Paredes’ ultra-specific potential to drag fly balls simply far sufficient to make sure constant energy manufacturing, his transition to a brand new ballpark that seemingly is not going to cater fairly as nicely to his bat will probably be awfully telling. Extra broadly, how does the Paredes addition influence Chicago’s long-term imaginative and prescient for its infield? If Paredes and Dansby Swanson are entrenched on the left facet for the foreseeable future, does this transformation the probability that Nico Hoerner has second base secured as nicely? This query is impressed principally by the truth that two of Chicago’s prime offensive prospects are infielders with expertise at third base (Matt Shaw) and second base (James Triantos), to not point out the faculty third baseman (Cam Smith) they drafted within the first spherical a few weeks in the past.

Having too many good gamers is an effective downside to have, after all, however this commerce makes it much more tough to inform what this infield goes to seem like over the following 18 months or so. As for the short-term, the Cubs simply grew to become that rather more attention-grabbing main as much as Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET commerce deadline. — Jordan Shusterman

Why’d the Rays do that?

For Tampa Bay, that is the newest in what is popping out to be fairly a dramatic collection of sell-off strikes, regardless of the crew remaining inside shouting distance of the AL wild-card race. This isn’t particularly stunning, contemplating the months of proof that this Rays crew isn’t really superb, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a reasonably vital overhaul of the roster — with extra strikes seemingly nonetheless to return.

As for the Paredes return, Morel stands out as an particularly intriguing headliner in distinction to the majority of the opposite gamers the Rays have acquired so far, who’re prospects that seemingly gained’t influence the big-league crew anytime quickly. Morel has loud instruments and has proven flashes of significant offensive potential with the Cubs, however his sketchy OBP potential has so far undermined his total productiveness. There additionally stay questions on his finest defensive match, as he has bounced round a bunch of positions however isn’t particularly good at any of them.

Bigge is an thrilling reduction prospect who skilled a large velocity leap this yr. He might assist straight away, albeit for a crew that doesn’t appear to be attempting to win anymore this season. Johnson is a longer-term mission with great things and an opportunity to start out down the street, not like Bigge, who’s relief-only. — Shusterman