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 attempt to stay in the National League wild-card playoff race.

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

With this trade, Paredes, 25, returns to the Cubs, who signed him as an amateur free agent out of Mexico in 2015. He played two seasons in Chicago's system before being traded to the Detroit Tigers.

He will begin his arbitration eligibility next season, so the Cubs have control of him for three seasons after this one. Paredes is likely not a short-term rental and should be Chicago's third baseman for the near future.

Trading Paredes is the latest example of the Rays dealing away key pieces before the MLB trade deadline after years of contention in the AL East. Earlier this week, Tampa Bay unloaded power-hitting outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners. The team then traded pitcher Zach Eflin, who led the AL in wins last season, within the division to the Baltimore Orioles. Additionally, reliever Jason Adam was dealt to the San Diego Padres.

There are questions as to how Paredes' power will play at Wrigley Field, but he brings some balance to the Cubs' lineup as a more reliable right-handed bat in the middle of the order. He also provides some defensive versatility, having played several positions around the infield during his career.

In exchange, the Rays will receive third baseman Christopher Morel and minor-league pitchers Hunter Bigge and Ty Johnson, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Tyler Kepner. Morel, 25, is batting .199 with a .676 OPS, 18 homers, 51 RBI and seven stolen bases. With one more season before he's eligible for arbitration, the Rays will have four seasons of control over Morel, which is a major consideration for them.

Bigge, 26, was called up to the majors earlier this month after compiling a 0.68 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings. He made four appearances for the Cubs, striking out five in 3 1/3 innings. Johnson, 22, is in his first season of professional baseball and has advanced from low-A to high-A. He has an 3.54 ERA overall in 18 appearances (10 starts) with 81 strikeouts in 61 innings.

The Cubs entered Sunday six games out of the NL's last wild-card playoff spot, with five teams ahead of them in the standings, including three of their NL Central rivals. While adding Paredes could help their chances this season, this also appears to be a move for the future.

Why'd the Cubs do this?

It’s a curious move for the Cubs, who seem to be threading the needle between acknowledging that they are unlikely to reach the postseason this year and seeking ways to improve the big-league club for the not-so-distant future. Paredes offers an immediate upgrade at third base over Morel and is under team control through 2027, but his acquisition prompts several questions about his own profile and the bigger-picture plan for the Cubs infield.

For one, how will Paredes’ unique offensive approach translate to Wrigley Field, compared to Tropicana Field? For those skeptical of Paredes' ultra-specific ability to pull fly balls just far enough to ensure consistent power production, his transition to a new ballpark that seemingly will not cater quite as well to his bat will be awfully telling. More broadly, how does the Paredes addition impact Chicago’s long-term vision for its infield? If Paredes and Dansby Swanson are entrenched on the left side for the foreseeable future, does this change the likelihood that Nico Hoerner has second base secured as well? This question is inspired mostly by the fact that two of Chicago’s top offensive prospects are infielders with experience at third base (Matt Shaw) and second base (James Triantos), not to mention the college third baseman (Cam Smith) they drafted in the first round a couple of weeks ago.

Having too many good players is a good problem to have, of course, but this trade makes it even more difficult to tell what this infield is going to look like over the next 18 months or so. As for the short-term, the Cubs just became that much more interesting leading up to Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline. — Jordan Shusterman

Why'd the Rays do this?

For Tampa Bay, this is the latest in what is turning out to be quite a dramatic series of sell-off moves, despite the team remaining within shouting distance of the AL wild-card race. This is not especially shocking, considering the months of evidence that this Rays team isn’t actually very good, but it’s still a fairly significant overhaul of the roster — with more moves likely still to come.

As for the Paredes return, Morel stands out as an especially intriguing headliner in contrast to the bulk of the other players the Rays have acquired thus far, who are prospects that likely won’t impact the big-league team anytime soon. Morel has loud tools and has shown flashes of serious offensive potential with the Cubs, but his sketchy OBP ability has thus far undermined his overall productivity. There also remain questions about his best defensive fit, as he has bounced around a bunch of positions but isn’t especially good at any of them.

Bigge is an exciting relief prospect who experienced a sizable velocity jump this year. He could help right away, albeit for a team that doesn’t seem to be trying to win anymore this season. Johnson is a longer-term project with good stuff and a chance to start down the road, unlike Bigge, who is relief-only. — Shusterman