The Chicago Cubs took preliminary steps Wednesday to deal with two fields of want on their roster.
A bullpen that will have to be overhauled this offseason won a untouched big-league arm because the Cubs received 28-year-old right-hander Eli Morgan from the Cleveland Guardians for Low-A outfield chance Alfonsin Rosario.
In addition they traded for catcher Matt Thaiss from the Los Angeles Angels in change for money concerns.
Patrick Knowledge and right-hander Trey Wingenter had been designated for task through the Cubs because the corresponding 40-man roster strikes.
Morgan is coming off his very best big-league season nearest posting a 1.93 ERA in 32 appearances. Since being moved to the bullpen in 2022, he owns a three.27 ERA, 1.119 WHIP and 124 ERA+ in 176 innings spanning 143 video games, depending on a three-pitch combine (four-seam fastball, slider and changeup) for his good fortune. Morgan, who’s beneath workforce regulate for 3 extra seasons, is arbitration eligible and is projected through MLB Industry Rumors to earn $1 million in 2025.
The Cubs are on the lookout for a catcher to pair with Miguel Amaya in a 1A-1B tandem setup for then season. Touchdown Thaiss doesn’t prevent the group from proceeding to attempt to improve their major-league choices at the back of the plate. The Angels designated Thaiss, who’s out of minor-league choices, for task ultimate moment. The Cubs may just choose to guard some flexibility in the event that they non-tender him forward of arbitration; the left-handed hitting 29-year-old is projected to put together kind of $1.3 million then yr. If the Cubs need Thaiss at the big-league roster, he supplies some defensive flexibility with restricted enjoy on the nook infield positions.
The Cubs dealt a prime upside chance to get Morgan through sending Rosario to Cleveland within the offer. Rosario, 20, slugged 16 house runs and 18 doubles with a .344 on-base proportion with Low-A Myrtle Seashore in his first complete season {of professional} baseball. Even supposing he possesses large energy, Rosario carries possibility on account of his propensity to chase.
Knowledge used to be a candidate to get non-tendered with the platoon slugger all set to earn a carry in arbitration probably to $3 million. Knowledge used to be the third-longest tenured hitter at the Cubs, first of all showing in two video games in 2020 sooner than breaking out in 2021 when he all set the franchise rookie document with 28 house runs. The 33-year-old noticed his taking part in hour considerably diminished in 2024, showing in handiest 75 video games and logging simply 158 at-bats nearest coming off 3 directly seasons with a minimum of 23 house runs.
