Reflecting on the brief, but odd reunion between the Cubs and Isaac Paredes

Isaac Paredes has again left the Chicago Cubs organization as quickly as he returned, heading to the Houston Astros as part of the Kyle Tucker blockbuster. The former Cubs prospect, who was part of the Alex Avila and Justin Wilson deal in 2017, was acquired last summer from the Rays for Christopher Morel and Hunter Biggie. The reaction from fans at the time was very mixed.

Paredes came with a solid resume, having posted a .340 OBP, .797 OPS and 67 home runs in 355 games with the Rays. He posted a career-best 31 homers and 4.3 fWAR season in 2023 and was an All-Star last season before joining the Cubs. He might not win any batting titles (.232 career average) but he puts the bat on the ball (17.4 percent career K rate) and posted solid RIPS numbers last year (.257/.357/.393). Not to mention Paredes is only 25 years old with multiple years of club control left. The appeal was there but there were reservations from some and his tenure with the Cubs ended up being forgettable.

In 52 games as a Cub last year, he slashed .223/.325/.307 with three home runs, six doubles and an 82 OPS+. His defense, which was more or less solid in Tampa, also took a step back at times. Overall the production was pretty pedestrian. Putting together a slash line of just .165/.268/.299 in his first 27 games as a Cub hurt his overall numbers and the team as he struggled to adapt to the change of scenery.

To his credit, he hit .293 with a .390 OBP and 14 RBI over his final 25 games, but he slugged just .317 over that stretch as all but two of his hits were singles. He failed to provide any pop with the Cubs, which was arguably one of the driving factors in the front office acquiring him in the first place.

Was the lack of power foreseen? There were concerns about his pull tendency (52.7 percent pull rate) not playing great with the deep wells of Wrigley Field. The pitcher-friendly weather conditions at The Friendly Confines did little to help matters. The hope was he could still produce enough slug and hit the gaps, but it did not work out that way.

So was Paredes ever a logical fit? The Cubs needed to change something up offensively last year, and Morel struggled to produce (even with some hard-hit balls). While it was risky getting a pull-heavy hitter from a team that often cycles through guys, Paredes had the resume, youth and cost control, to boot. He checked some boxes, but it was hard to see him being a long-term fit if he wasn't going to hit for power at Wrigley. Matt Shaw's continued rise did him no favors, either.

Paredes can still get the benefit of the doubt of being a good ballplayer. He will have the Crawford Boxes in Houston which are much more tailored to his swing. In the end, Paredes gets a better fit and the Cubs get their long-sought superstar so it turned out fine in an unexpected way. This definitely isn't how it was drawn up back in July, but few Cubs fans are complaining.