Division rival’s blockbuster replaces major Blue Jays headache with another potential one

The Toronto Blue Jays weren't the only team busy making deals over the weekend. The division rival Tampa Bay Rays, who started their sell-off at the beginning of July, were also wheeling and dealing and have been among the more active teams leading up to Tuesday's 6:00 p.m. ET trade deadline. Despite being just 3.0 games out of the Wild Card, the Rays sent third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Chicago Cubs.

The Blue Jays won't be sad to see Paredes leave the division — especially on the heels of Randy Arozarena's also leaving for the Seattle Mariners. However, the AL East rival's return for Paredes includes another player who could turn out to be a thorn in the Blue Jays' side. The Rays acquired slugging third baseman Christopher Morel and prospects Ty Johnson and Hunter Bigge in the deal announced Sunday.

Rays trade Isaac Paredes for Christopher Morel, another potential Blue Jays headache

Since joining the Rays in 2022, Paredes has enjoyed Toronto pitching. He only batted .221 against the Blue Jays, but slugged .467 with a .796 OPS, launching eight home runs, six doubles and driving in 23 runs in his 35 games versus his division foe. He finished his time in Tampa with a .345 wOBA and 129 wRC+ in games against the Blue Jays.

While the Blue Jays don't need to worry about Paredes anymore, Morel could turn out to be just as menacing, especially against Toronto's questionable future starting rotation. Now in his third MLB season, Morel has shown legitimate power, albeit around prolonged slumps.

Despite going through some struggles this season, slashing .199/.302/.373, he still has 18 home runs on the year and can also chip in on the basepaths with seven steals. The Rays must be banking on the 25-year-old getting back to his 2023 form, when he slashed .247/.313/.508 with 26 round-trippers in 107 games for the Cubs.

Morel is in the 97th percentile for bat speed. His other underlying power metrics are down this season, but in 2023 he posted a 91st-percentile average exit velocity, a 95th-percentile barrel rate and a 92nd-percentile hard-hit rate. There's plenty of power in his bat when he's going right.

Morel has played only six career games against the Blue Jays, collecting three hits including a home run at Rogers Centre.

Luckily, the Blue Jays don't see the Rays again until September, so Morel won't be an immediate problem. The real concern is that he's under team control until he becomes a free agent after the 2028 season. With another four-plus years in a Rays uniform, he'll be around in the AL East for a while. Hopefully, he doesn't torment the Blue Jays too much.