Chicago Cubs Trade Deadline Acquisition Ranks Top 10 Among Third Basemen

The Chicago Cubs went into the 2024 MLB trade deadline in an interesting place since they weren't necessarily in the playoff race, but also hadn't been virtually eliminate either.

Instead of making a move to acquire a high-profile name, they instead made a Major Leaguer swap with the Tampa Bay Rays, sending Christopher Morel to the Rays for Isaac Paredes.

Paredes was another Tampa Bay success story, coming over in a trade with the Detroit Tigers for Austin Meadows, as a player who had yet to find his way in the Majors.

While with the Rays, the third baseman found his footing, batting .236/.340/.457 with 67 home runs, 198 RBI, and a 125 OPS+ across 1,381 plate appearances in 355 games spread over parts of three seasons.

Another strong campaign seemed to be underway when he earned his first career All-Star nod after a stellar first half, however, Paredes would fall off in the second half, continuing to struggle after being traded to the Cubs.

The slugger still put up a strong enough season to rank well among his third base contemporaries.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report placed Paredes inside the top 10 of his final third baseman power rankings of 2024, ranking him ninth.

"With top prospect Matt Shaw knocking on the door as an option at third base, it will be interesting to see how the Cubs use him in the coming years," he wrote, "but Paredes has proved capable of being an impact bat."

While Matt Shaw may be on the cusp of Major League stardom, it would still behoove Chicago to find a spot in their lineup for Paredes, even if that is him serving as the designated hitter.

The slugger has shown he has the power that is expected of third basemen in the past, but he just arrived in the Windy City during an extended slump.

Defensively, Paredes has graded out roughly average per Baseball Savant.

He tallied -1 Outs Above Average this year at the hot corner, a mark that ranks him 28th among all third basemen, and in the 42nd percentile in all of Major League Baseball.

Paredes finds himself at a crossroads with his new club.

If he can return to the level of production he provided Tampa Bay, his play will demand that he stay in the lineup, however, should he continue to produce at the level he did with the Cubs, Shaw may take over at the hot corner sooner rather than later.