Morgan agreed to a contract with the Cubs to avoid arbitration Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The Cubs acquired Morgan from the Guardians on Wednesday, and he should serve as a key member of their bullpen in 2025. He's suffered from some inconsistency during four big-league seasons, though he posted a 1.93 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across 42 innings in 2024.
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Cubs' Eli Morgan: Traded to Cubs
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The Cubs acquired Morgan from the Guardians on Wednesday in exchange for Alfonsin Rosario, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Morgan boasts a 3.27 ERA over the last three seasons out of Cleveland's bullpen, although his strikeout rate dipped to 20.4 percent in 2024. He has past starting experience but will likely fill a middle-relief role in Chicago.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Grabs third win
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Morgan (3-0) walked one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the extra-inning win over the Twins on Thursday.
Morgan has quietly been reliable late in the year with a 13-inning scoreless streak over his last nine appearances. He has a 12:4 K:BB in that span. Morgan's been lost in the shuffle for an excellent Cleveland bullpen, but he's done his part in a multi-inning role with a 1.64 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB while adding just one hold over 38.1 innings this season.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Secures second win
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Morgan (2-0) allowed a hit and struck out two over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Royals.
Morgan has allowed five runs (four earned) over 13 innings since he was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Aug. 4. The right-hander got the job done in the sixth and seventh innings Wednesday, and he became the pitcher of record following the Guardians' seventh-inning rally. Morgan has maintained a 2.36 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB over 26.2 innings in the majors this season, mainly working in a low-leverage role in Cleveland's ultra-competitive bullpen.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Back in majors
Rotowire
The Guardians recalled Morgan from Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.
Morgan has spent the past month in the minors but is back with Cleveland ahead of Sunday's series finale versus Baltimore. The right-hander has a 1.98 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB over 13.2 big-league innings this season.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Guardians optioned Morgan to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.
Morgan holds a 1.98 ERA but just a 10:5 K:BB over 13.2 innings this season and has missed time with a pair of arm issues. David Sandlin (back) has returned from the injured list to take Morgan's spot in the Guardians' bullpen.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Activated off IL
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The Guardians activated Morgan (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Saturday.
Morgan will return from his second IL stint this season after recovering from right elbow inflammation. He made two rehab appearances in Triple-A, allowing one run on two hits and a walk over 1.2 innings. To make room for Morgan on the 26-man roster, Darren McCaughan was optioned to Triple-A Columbus.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Back on IL with elbow inflammation
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The Guardians placed Morgan on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right elbow inflammation.
He'll hit the IL for the second time this season after he was previously on the shelf from April 17 through this past Tuesday due to right shoulder inflammation. During his latest stint on the 26-man active roster, Morgan made one appearance, as he tossed 2.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen Wednesday in Colorado. Carlos Carrasco (neck) was reinstated from the 15-day IL in a corresponding move and will take Morgan's spot on the active roster.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Starts up rehab assignment
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Morgan (shoulder) made the second appearance of his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Columbus, recording one out while giving up two earned runs on zero hits and two walks.
Morgan pitched a clean inning in his first rehab outing for Columbus on Saturday, but he couldn't replicate that success Tuesday. Assuming the right-hander didn't experience any setbacks with his inflamed shoulder, however, he should be on track to return from the 15-day injured list either this week or next.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Shelved with shoulder inflammation
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The Guardians placed Morgan on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right shoulder inflammation, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Morgan presumably was diagnosed with the injury after he struck out two batters over two scoreless frames of relief in Tuesday's 10-7 win over Boston in 11 innings. The Guardians called up Wes Parsons from Triple-A Columbus to replace Morgan on the 26-man active roster and in the bullpen.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Grabs extra-inning win
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Morgan (1-0) allowed an unearned run on one hit and struck out two without walking a batter to earn the extra-inning win over the White Sox on Wednesday.
Morgan gave up an RBI double to Gavin Sheets in the top of the 10th inning, but the Guardians rallied in the bottom of the frame to walk it off. Through six appearances, Morgan has a hold and a 2:2 K:BB while allowing three runs (two earned) over 4.1 innings. He's not seeing much high-leverage work this season as one of the few Cleveland relievers who has struggled out of the gate.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Secures fifth win
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Morgan (5-2) allowed two hits and struck out one over a scoreless inning to earn the win Friday over the Rays.
Morgan worked the seventh inning and became the pitcher of record when the Guardians pulled ahead in their half of that frame. The right-hander was fine in August with a 2.38 ERA and 16:5 K:BB over 11.1 innings while adding one hold. He's now at a 3.07 ERA despite a 1.40 WHIP and 61:21 K:BB through 55.2 innings this season. After the Guardians bolstered their bullpen via waiver claims Thursday, Morgan's chances for high-leverage opportunities are likely even slimmer than before.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Takes loss Monday
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Morgan (4-2) allowed three runs on three hits and a walk over one-third of an inning to take the loss Monday versus the Astros.
Noah Syndergaard (leg) exited the game after getting hit by a comebacker, and Morgan proceeded to unravel in the sixth inning. Morgan gave up at least one run in six of his 11 appearances in July, posting an 8.10 ERA and 12:6 K:BB over 10 innings during the month. Overall, he's sporting a 3.32 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 44:16 K:BB with a save, six holds and a blown save through 43.1 innings this season.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Snags win Thursday
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Morgan (4-1) allowed a hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning to earn the win Thursday over the Royals.
A sixth-inning rally put Morgan in line for the win. Since the start of June, he's allowed three runs over 13.2 innings with a 12:6 K:BB. He's been a little better overall with a 1.72 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 37:10 K:BB over 36.2 innings for the season while adding a save and four holds. He's had more than his share of good luck, as evidenced by a 3.15 FIP, but any second-half regression should be fairly minimal as long as he maintains his career-best 41.5 percent groundball rate.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Picks up third win
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Morgan (3-1) pitched a perfect inning and earned the win Wednesday over the Athletics.
The Guardians spent much of the game behind but finally pulled ahead in the eighth inning after Morgan kept the deficit to one run. The right-hander has been solid lately, allowing two runs, six hits and five walks over his last 11.1 innings while picking up a hold in that span. The 27-year-old reliever has a 1.78 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 31:9 K:BB through 30.1 innings overall. He's added a save and a hold, but he's unlikely to unseat Emmanuel Clase or Trevor Stephan from the top of the bullpen hierarchy.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Handed first loss
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Morgan (2-1) allowed one run on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning Thursday, taking the loss versus the Twins.
After a rough May in which Morgan was scored upon in five of his nine appearances, his June didn't get off to a better start. He loaded the bases with no outs before allowing a sacrifice fly by Willi Castro to bring in the decisive run. In addition to allowing too many runs in May, Morgan failed to record a save or a hold during the month, which suggests he's on the verge of losing what little high-leverage work he had. For the season, he still has a solid 1.93 ERA, but a 1.29 WHIP and a 3.58 FIP are both indicators that his numbers could regress further.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Secures win
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Morgan (1-0) allowed a hit and struck out one over one inning, earning the extra-inning win Wednesday over the Athletics.
Morgan has had a productive series in Oakland, earning a win and a save in his last two appearances. The right-hander was dialed in with 15 of his 19 pitches going for strikes Wednesday. He's given up a hit in each of his four outings this season, but he also boasts a 6:1 K:BB and has allowed only one unearned run through four innings. With James Karinchak struggling early on, there's a chance Morgan's strong pitching could lead to him featuring as a high-leverage option as part of the bridge to closer Emmanuel Clase.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Mixed results in early spring
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Morgan has allowed three earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four over three innings in three Cactus League games.
Morgan's solid control is nothing new -- he posted a 1.8 BB/9 over 66.2 innings last season. Given the right-hander's solid work as a reliever and the Guardians' stable set of starters, Morgan figures to pitch primarily out of the bullpen in 2023. He also had a 3.38 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 72:13 K:BB with 10 holds last year, so he could work his way into being part of the setup mix, though a multi-inning role is most likely.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Takes third loss
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Morgan (4-3) took the loss in the second game of Monday's doubleheader versus the Tigers. He allowed two runs on two hits in one inning.
Morgan has allowed multiple runs in three of his five appearances in August, though Monday was the first time he took a negative result this month. The right-hander was very sharp for the first two months of the season, but he's surrendered 18 runs (17 earned) in his last 15.1 innings since June 21. Overall, he owns a 4.25 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 57:8 K:BB through 48.2 frames while adding 10 holds and four blown saves.
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Guardians' Eli Morgan: Perfect across two innings
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Morgan struck out two in two perfect innings during Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the White Sox.
Morgan was called upon for a multi-inning assignment after starter Aaron Civale (wrist) left after the first inning. This was a better performance for Morgan, who's had some mixed results lately. He's allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits -- including three home run -- in his last seven innings. During that span, he has three blown saves, a win and a hold. The right-hander still owns a solid 2.90 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 49:6 K:BB across 40.1 innings, but there's been some signs of regression after an unsustainable run of good performance in May and early June.
