Guardians Trade Eli Morgan to Cubs for Alfonsin Rosario

We have a trade

I will no longer need to defend Eli Morgan as a good relief pitcher, as the Guardians have traded him to the Cubs for 20 year-old outfielder from A-ball Alfonsin Rosario.

Aside from getting a prospect in Rosario they like in exchange for a volatile asset of which they have an abundance, I would guess that this is trade is probably a precusor to another move that will happen to fill the hole on the 40-man, in an additional trade or a free agent signing as Rosario isn’t Rule 5 eligible until fall of 2026. They could be opening up a spot for a Rule 5 pick of their own, also, but the timing of this trade makes me think something will happen sooner rather than later.

Born in the Dominican Republic and going to high school in Newark, New Jersey and finishing in South Carolina, Alfonsin Rosario is a right-handed hitting, 6’1”, 210 lb outfielder. FanGraphs has him as a future right fielder, raving about his arm (apparently he once unleashed a 101 mph throw in a showcase) and his raw power, and expressing concerns about his ability to track pitches and mitigate his swing and miss issues. FanGraphs ranked him 27th in the Cubs’ system last year, and MLB Pipeline had him at 21st in the Cubs’ farm. Rosario put up a 127 wRC+ in low-A Myrtle Beach last season with a 32.2/12.3% K/BB% and stealing 20 of 25 bases. He played 80 games in center and 12 in right field, so we’ll see how his defense develops. He’s certainly the kind of player you can dream on seeing little gains in plate discipline producing a lot in overall value. He may also indicate a bit of a continuation in Guardians’ prospect acquisition trends toward power over contact. It’s good to see that Rosario can take a walk, however. He’s the younger brother of Padres infielder Eguy Rosario.

I’ll miss seeing Morgan and his changeup befuddle batters, as he had a 1.93 ERA in 42 innigns last year. Overall, his FIP as a reliever is 3.67 for his career, which is an excellent option for the role of a middle reliever who can go two innings. I wish him well with the Cubs. I’m excited to see how Rosario develops at Lake County this year, and it’s nice the Guardians will have two full seasons to work with the young slugger before a roster decision needs to be made.

I was getting trolled on Twitter for hoping that saving money wasn’t at all a factor in the deal given that Morgan was only due to make $1 million. Excuse me for having PTSD about the Guardians finding very small ways to pinch pennies. But, with the return spelled out, this makes clear the Guardians found a value they liked in trading from an area of team strength.