One of the bigger pieces of the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline has just been moved as the Tampa Bay Rays traded away third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Chicago Cubs for third baseman Christopher Morel and prospects Ty Johnson and Hunter Biggee. Tampa Bay Times reporter Marc Topkin was the first to report of the trade happening while The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported the package. This move is going to be interesting as the Chicago Cubs are currently last in the NL Central with a 50-56 record and are six games out of the NL Wild Card, so this is not something that many people had on their radar.
Let’s take a closer look at why the Chicago Cubs made the trade for Isaac Paredes and what that means for the team going forward.
Why did the Chicago Cubs trade for Isaac Paredes?
Isaac Paredes has been one of the bigger targets for teams at the trade deadline as the All-Star third baseman has been a significant force at the plate. He has a 127 OPS+ with 16 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 41 runs scored in 100 games. Paredes has amazing bat-to-ball skills as he has 51 walks to 68 strikeouts thus far as well. This move does signal that the Chicago Cubs are officially buyers or sellers at the trade deadline as Isaac Paredes is not an unrestricted free agent until after the 2027 season, meaning there still are three full seasons that he is under contract.
Modern baseball has called for teams to trade players before they are rentals to get a bigger prospect package and it appears that the Chicago Cubs are ready to build around Paredes going forward with shortstop Dansby Swanson on the left side of the infield. He is going to be cost-effective for the Cubbies as well as he is only making $3.4 million in arbitration this season. With the move to the National League, this could be a bit of an interesting addition.
Do not be surprised if we hear about the Chicago Cubs trading away players like outfielder Mike Tauchman or first baseman Cody Bellinger before the trade deadline comes to a close. However, there are a lot of different things that can still happen before trades can no longer be happening. The Cubs are still in the playoff picture and this trade makes the team better in 2024.
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