KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Christopher Morel, with red-rimmed eyes, slowly made his way through the visitors dugout during the bottom of the third inning Sunday afternoon.

Every couple of steps, Morel gave a handshake or hug to a Chicago Cubs teammate, coach or staffer. At the end of the dugout, he exchanged bear hugs with third base coach Willie Harris then grabbed his bat and helmet to head back into the clubhouse, saying goodbye to the only organization he has known since signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2015 as a teenager.

The Cubs traded Morel to the Tampa Bay Rays for third baseman Isaac Paredes, the team announced Sunday. Two prospects, reliever Hunter Bigge and High-A pitcher Ty Johnson, were also sent to the Rays as part of the deal.

Morel, in the lineup Sunday as the designated hitter, was greeted by manager Craig Counsell in the dugout shortly after news of the trade broke. Counsell punctuated their brief conversation with a pat on the shoulders before Morel continued across the dugout in his last moments with the Cubs.

Counsell described Morel as shocked and surprised by the news.

“He has an outlook and demeanor that makes it fun to be around him,” Counsell said of getting to know him this season. “He loves playing and that joy that’s just his outlook on life and it’s present no matter what’s going on, no matter how he’s playing, no matter how the team is playing — it’s indicated by how he treats people. He’s an example for all of us in that regard.

“He’s a talented kid whose year, unfortunately, offensively, got off to some tough luck to start the season and just could never really get on track.”

It’s another deal by president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer in the last two days that addresses a need and helps the Cubs in 2025 and beyond. Paredes is the same age as Morel, 25, and will not reach free agency until after the 2027 season.

“As we have stated, our goal is to add players that will help us not just this season, but into the future,” Hoyer said in a statement. “In the last two days, we feel we have worked toward that by trading for those types of controllable players. Acquiring Paredes adds a proven bat to our lineup immediately and for years to come.”

Paredes is known for his pull-side power. His 53.2% pull rate this year ranks second among 146 qualified hitters trailing only Jose Altuve. It pairs with a 50.8% fly ball rate, the third-highest in the majors. Paredes’ expected home run numbers don’t compare as favorably at Wrigley Field where ballpark-specific projections have him hitting 13 fewer home runs over the last three years.

“Pulling the ball in the air, it’s a hard thing to do for anybody and it’s a good trait for hitters,” Counsell said. “No matter what park you’re in, that’s a good trait. Wrigley is a confusing park when it comes to offense.”

Paredes originally signed with the Cubs out of Mexico as an amateur free agent in 2015. He was part of the same Cubs international amateur free agent class as Morel, right-hander Javier Assad and catcher Miguel Amaya. Assad found out Morel had been traded when he exited after the sixth inning of Sunday’s 7-3 win over the Royals and had a chance to say goodbye postgame. Assad and Amaya consider Morel a good friend dating to their time together in the minor leagues.

“Really good guy, really good player, love the passion he plays with in this game,” Amaya told the Tribune. “This is business. It’s hard to believe it, but it is what it is. I wish him the best of luck in this new chapter of his journey.”

Second baseman Nico Hoerner has a soft spot for Morel having played with him briefly in 2018 at Short-Season A Eugene, his first time being around Morel’s infectious personality.

“He’s always maintained who he is,” Hoerner told the Tribune. “I just think really highly of him as a teammate and a player and I think he’s going to have a great career. I will always root for him. Seeing him celebrate hitting homers and know that he’s having a good time, I’ll always be happy for his success.

“There’s no doubt he’s going to be a big leaguer for a long time and impact the game. He does have those wow moments that do leave you wondering what he can turn that into and it’s unfortunate that didn’t line up here. … Seems like he’s gotten to a place that really values him and he’s going to have a great opportunity there.”

The Cubs traded Paredes and Jeimer Candelario to the Detroit Tigers at the 2017 trade deadline for catcher Alex Avila and reliever Justin Wilson. Following another trade in 2022, this time to Tampa Bay, Paredes’ offensive production jumped to a new level. Over the last three years with the Rays, Paredes posted a .236/.340/.458 slash line and 126 OPS+. He earned his first All-Star Game selection this year and comes to the Cubs hitting .247 with a .355 on-base percentage, 19 doubles, 16 home runs, 55 RBIs and 127 OPS+ in 100 games.

Morel’s potential has been undeniable in parts of three big-league seasons, especially with the power he possesses at the plate. He showed improvement reigning in his free-swinging approach this year. Morel’s strikeout rate is down 6.5% from 2023 while increasing his walk rate by nearly 3%. It hasn’t yielded the number of hits anyone has expected, getting burned at times with bad luck to contribute to his .199 average.

“I can’t speak for him, but I know that it’s challenging,” Ian Happ said of the expected numbers not going Morel’s way. “You’re hitting the ball hard, you’re not getting the results, you look up at the stat line and it is what it is when you get to this point in the season. Those things are tough, especially when you’re hitting the ball hard and think you’re doing the right things. There’s not much to change when you’re when you’re smoking the ball.

“I’m proud of the way that he continued to show up every day, work hard. The strikeout rate coming down, the walk rate going up in the midst of some challenging results is impressive.”

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But finding a defensive fit has been a struggle. The Cubs moved Morel full-time to third base during spring training, however, he remains inconsistent at the position, which created questions about his long-term fit on the club.

“Right now I can’t think or speak, tears are coming out, but my soul and my heart will always be in Chicago,” Morel wrote over a picture of him tipping his hat to Cubs fans that he shared on an Instagram story Sunday.

After taking two of three games against the Royals, the Cubs (51-56) are five games back of the third National League wild-card spot. As Hoyer and the front office continue trying to find the balance between being opportunistic and setting the team up well for 2025, it would not be a surprise to see the Cubs make more moves before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. CT trade deadline. Given the return the market is yielding for relievers, their bullpen could look a little different by the time they leave Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Paredes, though, gives the Cubs stability they’ve been lacking at third base the last few years while not completely punting their chances to try to hang around in the wild-card race.

“No matter who’s here we’re going to make the most of it,” Hoerner said. “But adding a guy to our lineup that I assume will hit somewhere in the middle of the order is a big deal for our dynamic and it makes a lot of sense to me.”