Old Friend Christopher Morel Could Be Fit for Cubs Bench

The Tampa Bay Rays designated Christopher Morel for assignment on Tuesday, following a rather rough tenure for the 26-year-old in Florida. The utility outfielder was acquired from the Cubs at the trade deadline in 2024, along with Hunter Bigge and Ty Johnson, in exchange for Isaac Paredes. The Cubs then sent Paredes to Houston as part of the Kyle Tucker deal last winter.

Morel finished the 2024 season with a 50 OPS+ in 49 games with the Rays, hitting three home runs and driving in only nine runs. For the season, he slashed .196/.288/.346 with an 81 wRC+ and -1.0 fWAR. He saw some improvement in 2025, but still posted a 90 wRC+ and -0.1 fWAR over only 305 plate appearances due to injuries and subpar performance. With 16 other arbitration-eligible players, the Rays saw fit to part ways with Morel rather than haggle over a projected $2.6 million salary.

The Cubs have quite a bit more roster freedom and will need to build a new bench this offseason with Justin Turner and Willi Castro entering free agency. Adding Morel as a relatively cheap depth piece could be an option with a hope for the upside that he saw during his stint in Chicago. Not only did he seem to thrive off the energy at Wrigley, but his younger brother Rafael is in the minors with the Cubs.

Morel’s swing speed (76.0 mph) remained among the best in baseball, helping him to produce above-average barrel and hard-hit rates. The downside has long been the frequency of his contact, as his 35.7% last season was the worst of his career and one of the worst in MLB. Between small improvements there and the lower risk of being more of a utility option, not to mention his familiarity with the organization, he’d be an intriguing option to back up Ian Happ and Matt Shaw.

Jed Hoyer has always sought value-based additions with the potential to outperform expectations, and Morel could be exactly that for a team that needs to create more upside depth.