Sahadev Sharma, Andy McCullough, Patrick Mooney
The Chicago Cubs made one of the most impactful trades so far at the deadline, acquiring Isaac Parades from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Christopher Morrell and prospects Ty Johnson and Hunter Bigge, both teams announced.
Parade was ranked third overall and first in offensive power on The Athletic’s Trade Deadline Big Board. With a .247 batting average, 16 home runs and a .793 OPS, he is widely considered one of the most attractive position players on the market this summer.
Paredes, 25, can play anywhere in the infield. He was named to the All-Star team earlier this month in the midst of another strong offensive season, and is under contract with the team through 2027. Need a third baseman? Need a second baseman? Need a do-it-all? Paredes is your go-to guy. He’s been much more effective against lefties this season in terms of getting on base, but his ability to hit hard against righties means he could play a key role in the lineup every day.
Paredes is owed $1.1 million in 2024 and is then arbitration eligible through 2027. The Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees were thought to be the leading contenders to acquire Paredes, but he ended up going to the Cubs, who had indicated they were willing to sell.
of #Cubs Today we acquired 3B Isaac Paredes from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for 3B Christopher Morrell, RHP Hunter Bigge, and RHP Ty Johnson. pic.twitter.com/CzEaqVGGbd
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 28, 2024
Cubs manager Craig Counsell was a bit surreal when he told reporters last week that it was a “mistake” for the team to write a “simpler story” of “this or that” at the trade deadline. That was a likely small-market reference to Counsell’s former Milwaukee Brewers, detached from the team’s recent history at Wrigley Field. Under Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, the Cubs were consistently clearly defined buyers or sellers at each trade deadline from 2012 through 2023.
But the Cubs are now operating in more of a gray area, avoiding players who are only good through 2024 and not viewing anyone as untouchable, while adding talent for the present and future.
Going deeper
MLB trade rating: Did the Rays get enough for All-Star Isaac Paredes in trade with the Cubs?
Paredes was once a potential trade partner to win right away. He originally joined the Cubs from Mexico as part of a deal that sent Jeimer Candelario to the Detroit Tigers at the deadline in 2017 for left-handed relief pitcher Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila. Candelario was the bigger name at the time, and the Cubs needed immediate help to defend their World Series title, but team officials appreciated that the Tigers had scouted Paredes extensively and shown he was already a smart, instinctive player at such a young age.
The Tigers eventually traded Paredes to the Rays for outfielder Austin Meadows and watched him blossom. Once known purely for his contact skills, Paredes used his power to become an extreme pull hitter.
Paredes’ tendency to pull hit has worked extremely well for him at Tropicana Field, where he has smashed 67 home runs for the Rays since 2022. While some teams may have been intimidated by the fact that all of Paredes’ home runs over the past three seasons have come on the pull side, it clearly hasn’t been much of an obstacle for the Cubs.
Paredes answers a lot of questions for the Cubs. Wrigley Field is good for home run hitters, especially in the left-center field gap, so it shouldn’t stifle his power too much. He also fills in at third base, a position the Cubs have been looking for more solid reinforcement for some time. Morrell’s defense has been up and down all season, but Paredes has shown he can be at least above average at the position.
The Rays were likely intrigued by Morrell’s projected performance, and while he should perform better this season, the Cubs will be adding a player to their lineup who has a 137 wRC+ in 2023 and is currently second on the team at 130 this season. Not only is Paredes a power hitter, he rarely strikes out (16% this season) and has a walk rate consistently above 10%.
Christopher Morrell hasn’t performed as well as he has in past seasons, but his behind-the-scenes numbers suggest success is on the way. (Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
Paredes has three more seasons remaining on his contract beyond this season. That’s obviously appealing to the Cubs, who want to play in 2024 and, more importantly, win in 2025. For the Rays, it continues a trend of moving players before costs start to spike. Paredes will be in arbitration for the first time this winter. Along with Paredes, the Rays have already traded starting pitcher Zach Eflin, relief pitcher Jason Adam and outfielder Randy Arozarena.
In addition to Morrell’s strong offensive potential, Bigge gives the Rays a potential late-inning reliever to develop, while Johnson is seen as a potential starting pitcher that can be developed through their vaunted pitcher development program.
(Top photo of Paredes by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
