Yankees Should Sign Former Rays Slugger

Morel's Polarizing Profile

Morel appeared to be blossoming into a star upon first breaking into the majors with the Chicago Cubs in 2022. Over his first two seasons with the club, he slashed .241/.311/.471 with 42 home runs, 117 RBIs and a 113 OPS+.

The 26-year-old, who was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2024 trade deadline, hasn't been the same as of late, however.

In 916 trips to the plate between the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, Morel produced a poor slash line of .204/.288/.363 with 32 home runs. Furthermore, his 29.3 percent strikeout rate was the seventh-highest of any hitter with at least 900 plate appearances over that span.

Morel has some of the most impressive raw power across the league, evidenced by his 14.8 percent barrel rate, 91.8 mph average exit velocity and 49.7 percent hard-hit rate coupled with his 76.0 mph bat speed in 2025, but his 38.9 percent whiff rate simply won't cut it.

It doesn't help Morel's overall value that he's a below-average defender in the outfield either despite his strong arm, as he posted -4 Defensive Runs Saved and -5 Outs Above Average over a combined 480 2/3 innings in left and right field this past season.

Why the Yankees Should Pursue Morel

Again, Morel's swing-and-miss tendencies are certainly a bit frightening, but his potential truly is sky-high. He was just scratching the surface of what he could accomplish during the first two years of his big-league career with the Cubs, and perhaps the Yankees can help rediscover that version of him.

Though there's still plenty of work ahead, New York doesn't currently have any strong right-handed bats on its roster outside of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Morel has reverse splits in the majors, as he owns an OPS of .726 against right-handed pitching and a mark of .684 against lefties, but he'd still bring value from that side of the plate even if he isn't necessarily a platoon candidate.

What it all comes down to, though, is the Yankees' confidence in their ability to turn Morel's elite batted ball data into better results while helping him cut down on his strikeouts and develop a better approach at the plate. That's way easier said than done, but what's the harm in signing him to a one-year deal and seeing if he's capable of turning it around?

New York could find much worse ways to fill a bench spot than with Morel, and if he were to ever put it all together, the club could have a true difference-maker on its hands.

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