Cubs' big trade deadline acquisition continues to spin his wheels at the plate

Acquired in one of the more creative deals of Jed Hoyer's Chicago Cubs tenure, third baseman Isaac Paredes was, in theory, supposed to have a higher floor and deliver more consistency at the plate than Christopher Morel.

In his first few weeks with the Cubs, though, that hasn't been the case.

Paredes, who was a solidly above-average bat every month this season with Tampa Bay, has cratered here in August. The 25-year-old is slashing just .127/.211/.238 in 71 trips to the plate and his defense has left much to be desired. His struggles are no secret to anyone around him - or Paredes himself.

He just hasn’t got on track offensively. There’s no question, he’d tell you the same thing. We’re certainly taking note of it. He’s working his tail off to fix it. He’s a quiet competitor, but he’s a really hard-working kid and he cares a lot. It’s just hard to see it sometimes. So this is frustrating for him. There’s no question this hurts him to not be playing well.

With a small contingent of Cubs fans still desperately clinging to postseason odds that sit at less than five percent entering the weekend, the hope was Paredes could be a spark plug, lengthening Craig Counsell's lineup and adding much-needed pop. That hasn't been the case. But that doesn't mean the trade was a failure, either.

It's way too soon to give up on Isaac Paredes and the trade that brought him here

The timing for his struggles isn't great. But Paredes came over with three more years of team control and he'll get a clean slate heading into spring training next year. He's put up the numbers. There's no reason to think, all of a sudden, a 37 OPS+ is the new normal. He'll level off - both at the plate and in the field - and be another quality piece of the puzzle.

There's no denying the Cubs expected more in the short term when they acquired him. The clock is ticking on Chicago's season. Could a Paredes heater turn things around? Maybe. Either way, getting him sorted out at the dish will be a top priority for Counsell and the coaching staff as the season winds down.