CLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 18: Eli Morgan #49 of the Cleveland Guardians throws a pitch in the fifth inning against the New York Yankees during Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 18, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Chicago Cubs have made an addition to their bullpen, reportedly acquiring pitcher Eli Morgan from the Cleveland Guardians.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Cubs will bring in the right-handed pitcher to bolster a bullpen that went through plenty of ups and downs last season.
It was not immediately known which players would be heading back to Cleveland in the swap.
To clear a space on the 40-man roster, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports the Cubs will designate infielder Patrick Wisdom for assignment.
Morgan appeared in 32 games for the Guardians last season, with a 3-0 record and a 1.93 ERA in 42 innings pitched. He has a career ERA of 3.97 in 161 games, including 19 starts. He has exclusively been used as a reliever in the last two seasons, finding his form out of the bullpen for Cleveland.
Morgan does not have an overpowering fastball, averaging 92.2 miles per hour last season, but hitters had a tough time with it last season, with a .176 batting average against the pitch, according to Statcast. His changeup has been even better the last two seasons, with a weighted on-base percentage of .223 and a 23.7% whiff rate.
According to Bleacher Nation’s Michael Cerami, his changeup is the 13th-best in baseball in terms of pitch value.
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The Cubs' bullpen last season ranked 12th in MLB in ERA at 3.81 but struggled to keep runners off-base, with the league's 19th-best WHIP. They'll be aiming to add higher leverage arms this offseason to keep pace with the division-leading Brewers, who had the second-best bullpen ERA and third-best bullpen WHIP in baseball last season.
Wisdom found himself relegated to bench duty in the 2024 season for the Cubs, with eight home runs and 23 RBI’s in 158 at-bats. He slashed .171/.237/.392 on the season, and struck out 59 times for the Cubs.
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Designating Wisdom for assignment will leave the Cubs’ 40-man roster at exactly 40 players.
