“2 years late”; “Come Back to Chicago”

The Tampa Bay Rays designated Christopher Morel for assignment Tuesday. The roster changes come with the addition of three prospects to their 40-man roster, aside from several pitching swaps and reducing outfield surplus.

With the Rays, Morel’s offensive performance declined, as he hit .219 to go along with 11 homers and 33 RBIs in 105 games last season. As such, this decision does not surprise anyone.

Fans also reacted to the Rays’ latest decision.

“2 years late,” one fan commented.

“Spoiler alert for Cubs fans, he DFA’d him because he sucks,” another fan added.

“I remember Cubs fans saying that Morel for Bichette, one for one, would be an overpayment by Chicago,” another fan added.

Meanwhile, some Cubs fans want the team to sign him.

“Wouldn’t cost much, the Cubs should consider bringing him back,” one fan noted.

“Bring it back @cubs,” one fan added.

“The Cubs should bring him back to be a Willi Castro type player. Morel can literally play every position,” one fan wrote.

“GO BACK TO CHICAGO,” one fan suggested.

What’s next for Christopher Morel after being named DFA?

Since the Rays DFA’d Christopher Morel, they now have seven days to trade him, release him, or, if he gets off waivers, send him to the minors. The Rays also shared the reason for Morel’s removal from the 40-man roster.

“He’s really struggled to find consistency throughout his game. Last year and then this year, he just couldn’t access the power consistently enough to reach his potential,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said.

“I just got to a point where playing time and opportunities started to tighten up over the last year and… [we] I didn’t feel like the opportunity would present itself in anticipation of next year. We just couldn’t establish the consistency we were hoping for. It happens, but he gave us everything he had, and we appreciate it.

Morel is eligible for arbitration. Other teams can pick him up on waivers if they like his profile and think they can fix what’s missing. Many fans want that team to be the Cubs, with whom Morel had the best moments of his career.