Isaac Paredes' hot streak adds to the intrigue of Chicago Cubs' offseason plans

There has been a lot of controversy over the trade that brought Isaac Paredes over from the Tampa Bay Rays for Christopher Morel and Hunter Biggie. Paredes, 25, really struggled in his first few weeks as a Cub and even alluded to things not feeling right. However, it is worth noting that he has been hitting much better over the past month or so.

Heading into Friday’s game at Wrigley Field against the Reds, Paredes, over his past 25 games, was hitting .294/.406/.318 with a .723 OPS, 15 walks, and 13 RBI in 106 plate appearances. Over those 25 games, he had eight multi-hit games, including a four-hit effort against the Phillies on Wednesday. In September alone, he was hitting .301 prior to Friday’s game, including an eight-game stretch from the 8th to the 16th when we went 14-29.

His efforts might not stick out as much seeing as he has been mostly hitting singles and walking. He has not had a home run since August 26, and only two of the 25 hits in that span were extra-base hits. While the goal is to see some slug from him, he has at least been productive after starting 10-71 (.141) in his first 20 games with the Cubs. It’s better to be hitting singles and walking than not hitting at all. As Billy Beane would point out, “He gets on base.”

Examining how Isaac Paredes fits with the Chicago Cubs moving forward.

The question is, how married are the Cubs to Paredes? They did not get him for nothing, and much of his value is in his years of team control. It does not guarantee him all those years, but if the Cubs believe in him, they can keep him at market value without a long-term commitment. His track record shows he is a very good ballplayer, being a near-10 fWAR player at the age of 25. That said, the team is at a crossroads, knowing in order to improve as a whole, they will have to shuffle some things. This includes the dilemma of where to play Matt Shaw next year, and if guys like Nico Hoerner are staying or getting moved.

One would think trading what they did for Paredes would make him likely to stay, but there is no 100% guarantee until we know. If he does stick around next year, hopefully ending the season on a better note is a sign of good things to come from him in 2025.