Christopher Morel had a damn good reason to pimp home run in Cubs win

It hasn't been an easy season for Christopher Morel, who is slashing .202/.303/.387 on the year, which is good for just a .690 OPS. Considering the league average is near the .700 mark, Morel hasn't lived up to expectations so far in 2024, especially given what he achieved just last season in the power department.

Morel was involved in trade discussions before the season involving Pete Alonso, the superstar New York Mets slugger. At the time, it was unclear if the Cubs were comfortable including Morel in a trade for one of the best power hitters in all of baseball.

On Sunday, the Cubs needed a win over their arch-rival Cardinals heading into the All-Star Break. Chicago had just been swept in a doubleheader against St. Louis the day prior. So, Sunday's matchup was important, both in the short-term and grand scheme of things, as Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office have yet to decide upon a trade deadline direction.

So, it's easy to understand why Morel might add a little extra emotion in one of the game's biggest moments. Morel hit two home runs on Sunday, which also marked his first multi-homer game.

Cardinals broadcast was furious at Christopher Morel's home run trot

Cardinals commentator and former All-Star Jim Edmonds wasn't happy about Morel's home run trot, taking a shot at the current Cubbie on live television.

"[Christopher Morel's] celebration is a joke. I don't mind saying it at all. I've never seen anything like it... You're a .229 hitter... and you're running around like you're Barry Bonds," Edmonds ranted.

Prior to their doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Cardinals on Saturday, the Cubs had been playing better baseball of late. Seemingly when the entirety of baseball media wrote Chicago off as a likely trade deadline seller, the Cubs had more to play for. The bullpen has finally performed up to par of late, and Chicago's offensive woes which prevailed from late April to early July are gone, at least for now.

“Everybody's working hard to try to contribute,” Tomas Nido said. “Sometimes it doesn't go our way, but it seems like lately we've been putting together really good at-bats and scoring a lot of runs.”

Perhaps Hoyer will remain patient with Craig Counsell's team after all, or at least give them a few more weeks to prove their recent string of impressive play isn't a fluke.