Christopher Morel’s cold 2025 stretch is erasing Cubs fans’ regrets

One of the more polarizing moves the Chicago Cubs made in the past was moving Christopher Morel as part of a trade package to the Tampa Bay Rays at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline last season. The Cubs gave Morel an extended run at the start of the 2024 season to prove he can handle being the team's starting third baseman, but in the trade with the Rays, they were ready for a different look at the position. Cubs fans never took to Isaac Paredes, the player acquired from the Rays, and had instant regret over losing a favorite.

Of course, the Cubs moved Paredes as part of their trade for Kyle Tucker over the offseason, but Morel has quietly become an afterthought with the Rays in 2025. Entering play on Monday, Morel is slashing .222/.300/.400/102wRC+ with the Rays this season to go along with 5 home runs. Morel hasn't exactly flashed the power that once defined his approach with the Cubs, and has another layer of disappointment considering the Rays are playing in a minor league stadium this season.

The very thing that plagued Morel with the Cubs, his boom-or-bust offensive profile, seems to have followed him to the Rays. The only difference is that there is far less boom in his offensive profile nowadays.

Cubs were proven right in ending the Christopher Morel experiment

Paredes wasn't the answer for the Cubs at third base, but they seemingly found their solution in Matt Shaw. Despite his initial struggles at the start of the season, Shaw, the Cubs' top prospect entering the season, seems to be reaching his potential now that he has returned to the Major League level.

It's difficult to envision what might be next for Morel. Morel, given his positional versatility, will likely always find a spot on a Major League roster, but he has proven to be more flash than he is substance. Morel was recently listed as a player in need of a change of scenery, but considering he just had one, that likely won't be the turnaround that it can be for a player who struggles in their first stop.