Cubs' Christopher Morel finds out he's traded mid-game, says goodbye to team in emotional scene
The Chicago Cubs pulled Christopher Morel mid-game against the Kansas City Royals after dealing him to the Tampa Bay Rays, and things got emotional in the dugout.
The Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays reached a trade on Sunday afternoon, a shocker as All-Star Isaac Paredes heads to the Windy City for a team that isn't currently in the postseason race.
The main part of the Cubs' package revolved around infielder Christopher Morel, the 25-year-old who is struggling this season but has shown tremendous upside in his first two years in MLB.
When the trade went down, though, Morel was in the middle of his game against the Kansas City Royals on the road.
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Morel got just one at-bat as the designated hitter for Chicago when he learned that he was traded to Tampa Bay, as were two right-handed pitching prospects.
The game broadcast caught the moment Morel learned he had to head down the tunnel to pack his things for the upcoming travel to his new ball club, but he didn’t leave without saying some emotional goodbyes to teammates and coaches.
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Morel and third base coach Willie Harris did their home run celebration together before a long embrace, one where it appeared Harris had words of encouragement for his pupil while patting him on the chest.
Morel then did a quick celebration with first base coach and former MLB catcher Mike Napoli before walking down the tunnel.
With the MLB trade deadline two days away, there may be more instances like this where teams need to pull players in the middle of the game to send them elsewhere. It's a bittersweet feeling for many, as they've developed relationships with teammates and coaches, but that's the way of the business.
At least Morel's situation wasn't like then-New York Met Wilmer Flores, who was spotted crying on the field after learning the team had dealt him away. However, the deal was never completed for Carlos Gomez, and Flores, a fan favorite, ended up staying with the team he'd only known in MLB to that point.
Morel ended up posting on his Instagram Story after leaving the game, explaining how emotional he was to be traded.
"Right now I can’t think or speak, tears are coming out, but my soul and my heart will always be in Chicago, Philippians 4:13," Morel captioned the post over a picture of him saluting the Wrigley Field crowd.
Morel is slashing just .199/.302/.374 this year, though he has 18 homers and 51 RBI over 102 games. Perhaps a different type of scenery with the Rays can unlock the Morel the Cubs saw last year, when he finished with 26 homers and an .821 OPS.
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