Cubs had surprising competition for former Rays All-Star Isaac Paredes

The Chicago Cubs stunned the MLB world on Sunday, landing All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. It feels almost like a warped reality; the 51-56 Cubs are feverishly buying while the 54-52 Rays are selling at a record pace.

There's still time for Chicago to balance the Paredes trade out with a couple sell-offs, but the Cubs' public-facing plan to build for 2025 has not kept Jed Hoyer from seeking upgrades. Paredes, at 25 years old, can absolutely help the Cubs next season. The Cubs' GM didn't lie, he simply misled the fanbase a bit. Few folks saw this coming.

It was a steep price for Chicago to pay. Christopher Morel is on his way to Tampa along with a couple fringe, top-30 level prospects. Paredes figures to plug straight into the heart of the Cubs' lineup, though, offering an immediate third base upgrade and a potential headliner for years to come. Under team control through the 2027 campaign, Chicago has a long runway for success with Paredes before worrying about his next contract.

Now that the utter surprise of it all has dulled, it's hard not to commend the Cubs' unexpected aggression. Fans have long desired a more bold approach from Jed Hoyer. Chicago is gunning for it, undoubtedly using the counsel of Craig Counsell to aid their process (please clap).

And yet, this unexpected pairing almost didn't come to pass. According to MLB.com's Daniel Kramer, the Seattle Mariners were in on Paredes, but Chicago's offer came over the top due to the inclusion of an established MLB talent in Morel.

Mariners were interested in Isaac Paredes trade before Cubs won sweepstakes

Another interesting nugget, from MLB Network's Jon Morosi, is that Seattle was also in communication with Chicago about Morel. Clearly the Mariners, in need of third base help, are operating with aggression ahead of Tuesday's deadline. As they should. More medium-market teams should seize opportunities like this.

Seattle already pulled off arguably the biggest trade of the 2024 season to date, acquiring Randy Arozarena from... the Rays. It's not often that two teams engage in multiple blockbuster trades together, but there's also not a rule against it. If the Rays take a liking to the Mariners' farm system, so be it.

Arozarena was a major addition for a Seattle team that has lost ground to the red-hot Houston Astros in the AL West. The M's are equipped with one of the top pitching rotations in baseball, but the offense has been too frequently anemic. Arozarena plugs one hole in the outfield, but Seattle would benefit from an upgrade over Josh Rojas (.235 BA and .672 OPS) at third. Paredes would've been an upgrade and a half.

Luckily for Chicago, Morel was kept on the table for the purposes of yanking Paredes out of Tampa and away from Seattle. The Mariners continue to pop up in rumors, so we probably haven't heard the last from Seattle ahead of tomorrow's 6 ET deadline. We can say the same for Chicago, too. Whether the Cubs keep stockpiling immediate contributors or look to restock the farm system, Hoyer will keep hammering the phone lines until the final buzzer sounds.