Cubs acquire relief pitcher in trade with Guardians

The Chicago Cubs made an addition to their bullpen on Wednesday.

The Cubs acquired relief pitcher Eli Morgan in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians are receiving minor-league outfielder Alfonsin Rosario in return. Chicago also has designated Patrick Wisdom for assignment to make room for Morgan on the roster.

Morgan began his career as a starting pitcher for Cleveland in 2021. He went 5-7 with a 5.34 ERA in 18 starts that season. He then converted to a reliever and saw his numbers improve.

Last season, Morgan went 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA. The 28-year-old allowed four home runs in 42 innings, which represented an improvement from his previous three seasons in MLB.

Rosario, 20, showed some potential in Single-A last season. The outfielder had 18 doubles and 16 home runs in 109 games and also stole 20 bases. However, Rosario batted just .230 and had 147 strikeouts.

Cleveland must see lots of potential with Rosario to trade away a reliever like Morgan, who contributed meaningful outs last season.