Former Chicago Cubs Slugger Shares Heartfelt Appreciation Post

Christopher Morel thanked the Chicago Cubs in a touching Instagram post.

Jul 14, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter Christopher Morel reacts after hitting a home run. / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

It's been over a week since the Chicago Cubs traded Christopher Morel and two others to the Tampa Bay Rays for Isaac Paredes, but the move still seems to be sinking in for Morel.

With the Rays off on Monday, Morel used some of his free time to share a heartfelt Cubs appreciation post on his Instagram account.

The post included a highlight reel of some of Morel's top moments with Chicago, set to "MR. OCTOBER" by Bad Bunny. The caption was a lengthy message in Spanish that touched on the emotional highs and lows of his Cubs tenure, which began when he signed with the organization as a 16-year-old kid from the Dominican Republic back in 2015.

Christopher Morel shares a heartfelt thank you message to the Cubs organization and fans via his Instagram 🥹 pic.twitter.com/pVpdVp6zLm

— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) August 6, 2024

Morel remained with the club for nearly a decade, finally reaching the major leagues in 2022. He turned out to be worth the wait, blasting 60 home runs with 168 RBI in 323 games with Chicago before being traded on July 28.

The 25-year-old slugger thanked the Cubs and their fans for all of their support throughout the years, during his journey to the big leagues as well as the ups and downs that young players typically deal with early in their careers.

The Morel trade was somewhat surprising given that he was still under team control through 2028, but some felt he had already plateaued as a player. Paredes, on the other hand, is the same age as Morel but has already made an All-Star team and is more polished as a hitter.

Morel already appears settled in with Tampa Bay, homering in his first two games there. Meanwhile, Paredes is off to a cold start with Chicago, managing just three hits in his first 23 at-bats.

Morel wasn't a perfect player by any means, but he was an exciting one nevertheless. Cubs fans will miss him.