Cubs acquire reliever Eli Morgan in trade with Cleveland Guardians
Yesterday at 02:01 PM
The Cubs' first trade of the offseason targeted an obvious positional need, acquiring right-handed reliever Eli Morgan from the Guardians, a source confirmed. To make room on the roster, the Cubs are designating slugger Patrick Wisdom for assignment. Cleveland's return in the deal was not immediately clear.
As a member of the Guardians' MLB-leading bullpen this past season, Morgan recorded a 1.93 ERA in 32 games. He would have pitched more if it hadn't been for two stints on the injured list, one for what the team called right shoulder inflammation and the other right elbow inflammation. Morgan held primarily a middle-relief role, often throwing more than one inning per outing.
Morgan has a three-pitch mix, according to Statcast, with a four-seam fastball that averages about 92 mph, a unique slider and a 79-mph changeup. Earlier in his career, he also threw a cutter and a curveball.
Landing Morgan, is the first step in bolstering the Cubs bullpen, which will be a priority all offseason.
Wisdom, who just three years ago finished fourth in NL rookie of the year voting, has seen his playing time steadily reduced over the past couple seasons as the Cubs have moved out of rebuilding mode. He had just 158 at-bats this season, compared to 268 last season and 469 the year before.
Wisdom batted just .171, with eight home runs in 2024. But he still was a power threat off the bench, putting him in high-leverage pinch-hit situations. In four seasons with the Cubs, he posted a .752 OPS.
