Chicago Cubs Add Bullpen Arm In Trade With Cleveland Guardians

The Chicago Cubs agreed on a trade that is sending their 21st-ranked prospect to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Reliever Eli Morgan. Morgan had a stellar 2024 in limited work for the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians after bouncing between the starting rotation and bullpen for his first three major league seasons. The Chicago Cubs are betting on 2024 being a step in the right direction and not an aberration for the right-hander. For the Guardians, they acquire an A-ball outfield prospect, 20-year-old Alfonsin Rosario. Rosario has upside for the Guardians and gives them more flexibility with their 40-man roster for the rest of the 2024 offseason.

The Chicago Cubs are going in the opposite direction, trying to reshape their 40-man roster with some fresh players that can get them out of their 83-79 funk they’ve been in for two seasons. Their bullpen was the best in baseball for a two-month stretch from the end of June until the end of August, but their struggles to find a groove up until that point sank the team in far too many games.

They are still searching for a closer and Morgan does not fit that bill. He will likely be a middle-relief arm to start the year with an opportunity to continue his hot 2024 and escalate his role in the Chicago bullpen. To accommodate Morgan on the 40-man roster, Chicago designated Patrick Wisdom for assignment.

Chicago Cubs Make Deal For Eli Morgan

The Chicago Cubs reached an agreement with the Cleveland Guardians on a two-player deal that sends one of their top-30 prospects to the Guardians in exchange for right-hander Eli Morgan. Morgan has been in the big leagues for four seasons and has amassed a 3.97 ERA across 265.1 innings. After debuting in 2021 as a starter, he was moved to the bullpen in 2022 where he found much more success.

In 18 starts in 2021, Morgan went 5-7 with a 5.34 ERA. Since then, Morgan has found a home in the bullpen, pitching 173 innings in relief with a 3.23 ERA with 2024 being his best year, when he pitched to the tune of a 1.93 ERA in 42 innings of work. Morgan will almost assuredly stay in the bullpen with the Cubs and has an opportunity to pitch in more high-leverage situations in a Chicago bullpen that has been unstable and with high turnover in the last couple of seasons.

Morgan, 28, has featured a three-pitch mix since moving to the bullpen and has fine-tuned his arsenal to become a very effective reliever. His four-seam fastball is a consistent 92 MPH and his slider isn’t far behind at around 86 MPH. He uses those pitches the most but his most effective pitch has been his changeup. Morgan’s change has been his best weapon and he played off his pitches extremely well. His pitch selection likely enticed the Cubs to make a deal for him over some other possible arms.

The move to acquire Morgan did not come without a price. In addition to trading outfield prospect Alfonsin Rosario, Chicago had to make room on the 40-man roster and Patrick Wisdom found himself on the way out of town. Wisdom has been a mainstay on the Cubs in recent years but the writing was on the wall for the slugger after barely playing in the first year under Craig Counsell.

Guardians Add Outfield Prospect

In exchange for Morgan, the Guardians bring in Alfonsin Rosario, a 20-year-old outfield prospect with loads of upside. Rosario played for Chicago in low A-ball with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and showed some flashes of what he could turn into with Cleveland. The Dominican-born slugger also exhibited why the Cubs were willing to part with him and what might keep him from reaching the majors. Rosario has immense power and pairs that with speed on the base paths and in the outfield. This year with the Cubs A affiliate he hit 16 home runs, drove in 73 runs and stole 20 bases in 92 games with a .230 AVG and .344 OBP.

His throwing arm is powerful, reaching up to 101 MPH on relays to the infield so his path to the majors will likely run through right field. The issue that has bogged Rosario down has been a common problem for power hitters, strikeouts. Rosario struck out over 32% of the time and chased off-speed pitches. He has been unwilling to try and go to the opposite field so far in his young career, something Cleveland will undoubtedly try and correct so that Rosario can contribute to the major league team at some point in the future.

Final Thoughts

The deal was a savvy one by the Cleveland Guardians. They have shown time and time again their ability to develop pitchers and get the most out of them. With Morgan, his value is likely never to be higher between his performance in 2024, contract status and club control service time. They bring back a player with tons of upside who gives them a potential big-leaguer in the future while not having to commit to him on the 40-man roster.

For the Chicago Cubs, this deal reflects the opposite. They have scrambled to find quality pitching for a decade and this is the latest stab at finding quality arms. Morgan will fit into the bullpen to start the year and could become a staple if he builds on his terrific 2024. The decision to move on from Patrick Wisdom is not welcomed, but expected. He was a great locker room guy and could be counted on as a pinch-hitter after he was removed from the starting lineup years ago. He will be missed but hopefully Eli Morgan can be a more valuable member of the roster in 2025.