The Cleveland Guardians sold high on Eli Morgan.
That doesn’t mean they robbed the Chicago Cubs: Morgan is a very solid get for them and he will solidify their bullpen.
However, Morgan just posted a career-high 1.93 ERA in 2024, when his career mark as a reliever is 3.23 (3.97 overall).
He had a career-best campaign and the Guards, knowing they have enviable depth in their bullpen, traded him for a high-upside lottery ticket.
Initially, when multiple outlets reported the trade, we only knew that Cleveland dealt Morgan to the Cubs for an A-ball player.
Now, we know his identity and prospect evaluators love him.
“We have acquired OF Alfonsin Rosario from the Cubs in a trade. Rosario hit 16 homers with a .767 OPS while stealing 20 bases in Single-A last season,” the team posted on X.
We have acquired OF Alfonsin Rosario from the Cubs in a trade.
Rosario hit 16 homers with a .767 OPS while stealing 20 bases in Single-A last season.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/HxYXdiZgaS
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) November 20, 2024
The consensus on Rosario is that he is young (20 years old) and raw: he has some swing-and-miss issues, which is not at all uncommon for hitters his age.
However, his upside is considerable: he is powerful, speedy, athletic, and has a very solid throwing arm.
If that “A-Ball Player” is Alfonsin Rosario, I will lose my mind.
His potential is sky-high, especially if he can be patient with breaking pitches. 6’ 1”, 205 at 20 years old. Great power. + Speed. ++ Arm, projects as a corner outfielder but could be a CF with time. https://t.co/3DiI7YKZWn
— Cole Payne (@brngnthepayne) November 20, 2024
If he can conquer his issues hitting breaking balls and thus improve his contact rate, the sky is the limit for the young Rosario.
The Lake County Captains (the Guardians’ High-A affiliate) outfield could be very exciting with Rosario and Jaison Chourio out there.
Cleveland just got a very fun prospect, the definition of a ‘high-risk, high-reward’ player in exchange for a good reliever.
Given their depth at the latter position, that seems like a trade worth making.
NEXT: Guardians Trade Middle Reliever For A-Ball Prospect
