Former Cubs slugger's fate continues to vindicate Jed Hoyer's decision

Two of Jed Hoyer's most polarizing Chicago Cubs' decisions were on display over the weekend. Kyle Schwarber had a three-home-run performance against the New York Mets on Saturday, and followed it up with another home run on Sunday. Elsewhere, Christopher Morel was designated for assignment by the Miami Marlins.

While the Hoyer giving up on Schwarber one year before the NL adopted the DH rule remains one of the biggest misevaluations the Cubs have made in the history of the franchise, the decision to trade Morel at the 2024 MLB trade deadline was just as controversial.

At the time, Hoyer realized the Cubs' offense needed a different look to it, and his answer was trading Morel, along with two pitching prospects, to the Tampa Bay Rays for third baseman Isaac Paredes. While Paredes' return to the Cubs' organization didn't exactly go how Hoyer envisioned, he was a means to an end in the Kyle Tucker trade.

Meanwhile, Morel never quite returned to being the slugger he once was with the Cubs. He posted an OPS+ of 77 in 495 plate appearances with the Rays across a season and a half, but was designated for assignment last winter. He latched on with the Marlins, who had a need for a corner infielder, but the experiment never quite worked out.

An injury limited Morel to 22 games with Miami this season, and it represented rock bottom. The 26-year-old posted an OPS+ of 22 with the Marlins, and surprisingly, zero home runs. Behind the scenes, it would seem that Morel never quite became the sensation with the Marlins that he was in Chicago. Between the oblique injury to start his tenure and struggles upon his return, the fit was never quite there.

Christopher Morel is one Cubs' choice Jed Hoyer got right

The reason the Cubs' decision to part with Morel was because he was loved by the fanbase. And, the the love was certainly justified. He was an electric piece for Cubs teams that weren't quite ready to contend. In the aftermath of the departure of the 2016 World Series core, Morel was an easy player to root before and his energy brought life to Wrigley Field.

By the end of his run with the Cubs, however, it was clear that he wasn't going to be the slugger the Cubs initially hoped he would become. His approach became flawed, and the swing-and-miss in his profile has only become exposed during his time with the Rays and Marlins.

It was a difficult decision but ultimately one that Hoyer got right. Not that it matters much right now, considering the handful of decisions last offseason that Hoyer seemingly missed on.

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