Apr 3, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

Rays Urged To Trade 26-Year-Old Slugger In Offseason

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Rays have been better than many expected, even after cutting ties with multiple stars within the last year or two. They're still one of the better-built teams in baseball, despite the losses from their roster.

The Rays could look to make some big moves, potentially on the trade block, in the offseason. There's a chance they look to add more talent to the roster in the coming months, especially with the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox looking like super teams.

Jedd Pagaduan of ClutchPoints recently urged the Rays to cut ties with 26-year-old infielder Christopher Morel in an offseason trade this winter.

Rays urged to cut ties with Christopher Morel in big trade

"But it seems as though the Rays have strayed from their typical roster-building ways when they acquired Christopher Morel from the Chicago Cubs in a trade for infielder Isaac Paredes. Paredes was doing well for the Rays; in fact, before he was traded by Tampa Bay in July 2024, he was boasting a slash line of .245/.357/.435 — with his on-base skills making him a gem that not too many people knew about," Pagaduan wrote. "So for the Rays to trade an All-Star player for Morel, who, at 26 years of age, showed a ton of potential for the Cubs, speaks volumes to how much they believe in his underlying metrics. And perhaps there is indeed strong reason to believe in Morel’s potential.

"Baseball Savant shows that Morel rates quite well in average exit velocity (91.4 miles per hour), barrel percentage (18.3 percent), hard-hit percentage (48.7), and bat speed (76.0). That shows that when Morel makes contact, he hits the ball hard. But Morel doesn’t make contact often, and he usually hits balls at suboptimal launch angles."

Trading Morel would be a tough decision for the Rays to make. He's only 26 years old and has a lot of potential left in the tank.

If the Rays were to move him, it should be to capitalize on his potential and value rather than selling low.

Morel has a bright future in the big leagues if he can put the pieces together. When he's firing on all cylinders, he's one of the better young infielders in the American League

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This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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