The Tampa Bay Rays made several moves on Tuesday, one of which was the decision to part ways with Christopher Morel
The Tampa Bay Rays have designated outfielders Christopher Morel and Jake Fraley for assignment, the team announced Tuesday.
The decision caps Morel’s underwhelming tenure with the Rays. The 26-year-old was the centerpiece in the 2024 trade deadline move that sent All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Chicago Cubs.
Morel arrived with potential in tow after hitting 26 home runs in 2023 and 18 in 2024 before the Rays acquired him. However, his batting average plummeted from .247 to .191 in that span and finished with 159 strikeouts.
Morel posted mixed numbers in 2025. His batting average rose back up slightly to .219, but he hit a career-low 11 home runs in 105 games while striking out 109 times.
“Mo’ worked his tail off; you couldn’t ask for a better teammate,” baseball operations president Erik Neander told the Tampa Bay Times and MLB.com Tuesday. “(He) really just struggled to find consistency throughout his game. Through last year and then this year, just couldn’t access the power on a consistent enough basis to reach his potential. “Just got to a point where the playing time and the opportunity started to tighten up as last year went on and ... we didn’t feel like the opportunity was going to be there looking ahead to next year. At the end of the day, we didn’t get the consistency in the production that we were anticipating. We just couldn’t establish the consistency that we were hoping would be there. It happens, but he gave us everything he had, and we appreciate that.”
With plenty of options remaining in the outfield positions, the Rays made the choice to designate Fraley for assignment 12 days after claiming him off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. Fraley, 30, was selected by Tampa Bay with the 77th pick in the Competitive Balance-B round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
Fraley remained in Tampa Bay’s minor league system until November 2018, when the organization traded him to the Seattle Mariners. He would make his MLB debut in a Mariners jersey on Aug. 21, 2019.
Fraley was dealt to Cincinnati for several players, one of which included All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez.
Fraley’s role with the Reds expanded, and by his second season with the team, he became a consistent presence on the Major League roster with 111 games played. From 2022-2025, Fraley appeared in 362 games with Cincinnati; slashing .260/.336/.421.
On Aug. 17, Fraley was designated for assignment, and by Aug. 19, the Atlanta Braves claimed him off waivers. He played nine games for Atlanta.
“Tampa Bay claimed Fraley knowing it already had plenty of outfield options,” Adam Berry of MLB.com wrote. “But if he is non-tendered Friday and becomes a free agent, the Rays could attempt to re-sign him depending on how that situation shakes out.”