The Chicago Cubs, who promised this week that they would only make trades for the future and not short-term rentals, kept their word Sunday by acquiring All-Star infielder Isaac Paredes from the Tampa Bay Rays before the MLB trade deadline.
The Cubs, who are also looking for offers for veteran starter Jameson Taillon and other relievers before Tuesday’s trade deadline, sent third baseman Christopher Morel, reliever Hunter Bigge, and pitching prospect Ty Johnson to the Rays in the transaction.
“Our goal is to add players who will benefit us not only this season, but in the future,” Cubs president Jed Hoyer said Sunday. “Acquiring Paredes adds a proven bat to our lineup immediately and for years to come.”
Morel was expected to be the Cubs’ future power-hitting third baseman, but he underperformed (.199, 18 homers,.675 OPS), notably defensively, and the team abandoned up on him. They now have an infielder in Paredes, who is hitting.245 with 16 home runs and an OPS of.792 and will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2027 season. He is making $3.4 million this year.
Interestingly, the Rays attempted to acquire Morel during discussions about starter Tyler Glasnow throughout the offseason before trading him to the Dodgers. The Cubs initially signed Paredes as an amateur.
Paredes is the Rays’ sixth trade this month, with four coming in the last three days. He joins Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, Phil Maton, and Jason Adam.
While the Rays (54-52) are definitely in sell-mode, even though they are only 3 ½ games away of a wild-card position, the Cubs (50-56) have yet to officially decide whether they are in or out. The Cubs are still likely to sell and trade numerous pitchers, especially since this is clearly a seller’s market, but they are also six games out of a wild-card spot.
The trade deadline is 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
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