Isaac Paredes Trade Has Officially Become Failure for Rays Following Recent Move

The decision to trade Isaac Paredes by the Tampa Bay Rays has officially become a failure for the franchise.

Jul 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) is unable to make a play on a ground ball during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Daikin Park. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays recently made a slew of moves as they started to set up their 40-man roster. 

It was a busy night for the Rays on Tuesday, with the franchise making a ton of moves to reshape what their 40-man roster looked like. This was to be expected, but some of the moves were more surprising than others.

Coming into the winter, the team had a few needs to address, with a couple of positions needing some upgrades. One of those spots was in the outfield. This was a team that had a number of options, but offensively, the unit struggled. 

On Tuesday, the team elected to cut ties with one outfielder whom they had high hopes for after acquiring him from the Chicago Cubs. Tampa Bay recently cut ties with Christopher Morel, who was the significant piece that they got in return for Isaac Paredes at the trade deadline in 2024. 

Paredes Trade Has Become a Massive Failure

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

After a couple of strong years with the Cubs in which he showcased some good power numbers, Morel has really struggled of late, and it is understandable that the Rays elected to cut ties with him. In 2025, he slashed .219/.289/.396 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI in 105 games played. The power numbers were decent from Morel, but with an OPS once again under .700, the overall numbers were lackluster. 

Considering the type of player that Paredes has been since the deal, this has been a massive failure for the Rays. The young slugger has been an All-Star two straight years now and was a significant part of the trade that brought Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. 

In his first year with the Houston Astros, Paredes slashed 254/.352/.458 with 20 home runs and 53 RBI in 102 games played. Those offensive numbers are far better than what Morel was able to accomplish, and the Rays certainly lost this deal. 

For Morel, he is still just 26 years old, but it isn’t an encouraging sign for his career that he was let go by Tampa Bay. This is a team that is in need of offensive help in the outfield, and they deemed that he couldn’t help in that area. It will be interesting to see what’s next for him, but he will likely have to prove himself in the minors before getting another real shot in the Majors.