Christopher Morel is staying put in the NL East.
It was first reported by Will Sammon of The Athletic that the New York Mets are signing Christopher Morel to a minor league deal. His deal contains multiple opt-outs, according to Sammon, and Morel will report to Triple-A Syracuse.
Morel began this season with the Miami Marlins after signing a one-year, $2 million contract in the offseason. Morel's first and only season in Miami, however, did not pan out the way he or the Marlins had anticipated.
The 27-year-old started the year on the injured list with an oblique injury, keeping him out for the first month of the regular season. After returning from the IL, Morel slashed just .162/.219/.206 with one RBI and one stolen base in 22 games. Miami would designate Morel for assignment on June 21 before releasing him on June 26.
Despite his struggles, Morel is still just three years removed from slugging a career-best 26 home runs and driving in 70 in 107 games with the Chicago Cubs during the 2023 campaign. Morel also played for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024 after the Cubs traded him at the trade deadline that year.
Morel will now report to Triple-A with the hopes of ultimately being called up by the Mets in the near future.
New York signing Morel is likely due to his versatility across the diamond, having played all infield positions and all outfield spots. After committing two more errors during Monday night's 2-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Mets have committed 12 errors over their last eight games.
And with their loss to Toronto, the Mets are now a season-worst 15 games under .500 at 35-50 and have lost nine out of their last 10 games.
