Eli Morgan’s next postseason chapter might come with the Yankees, and that’s the kind of twist that jumps off the page.
Back on Oct. 10, 2022, Morgan logged his first postseason win by tossing a scoreless ninth inning against New York in the American League Division Series. The Guardians were already down two runs when he came in, but he slammed the door, helped halt the damage, and set the table for Oscar Gonzalez’s walk-off hit.
Now Morgan is on the Yankees’ side after signing a minor league contract that could put him in position to matter in October.
It’s fair to raise an eyebrow. Morgan posted a 5.12 ERA with the Royals and finished with a 7.09 ERA over 26 2/3 innings after leaving Cleveland. But the Yankees may be the right place for him anyway, especially with their bullpen issues and a staff that has shown it can get the most out of arms like this.
New York is all but certain to reach the postseason, likely as the top American League Wild Card team, and the relief picture beyond its established late-inning group is wide open. The club’s top four relievers have been set for most of the year - David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Brent Headrick, Tim Hill and Fernando Cruz - but the jobs behind them are there for the taking.
At the moment, Yerry de los Santos and Bradley Hanner occupy those spots, though neither has much of a hold on them. De los Santos has given up just one earned run in 14 innings, but his expected ERA sits at 3.57 and he’s striking out fewer than one batter per inning. Hanner has appeared in only one game since his call-up.
Morgan doesn’t carry much name value, but he’s had stretches in the majors that stack up favorably with what those two have offered. His strongest statistical year may have been 2024, when he posted a 1.93 ERA in 42 innings, and he was also a useful everyday relief piece in 2022 before handling a mix of postseason roles.
There’s also a strange little wrinkle here: almost all of his postseason work has come against the Yankees, and he kept them quiet every time.
The biggest issue is health. Morgan’s 2025 season ended with right elbow impingement, an injury that first showed up during his final year with the Guardians. That clearly affected his big-league results, but he did put together a 1.40 ERA in 25 2/3 innings with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate before they, which at least suggests there’s still something left in the arm.
He may have arrived in New York as nothing more than a depth signing. Given the Yankees’ bullpen situation, though, Morgan could wind up as a useful October option whether that was the plan or not.
In Other News...
Guardians Power Problem Keeps One Old Trade Looking Even Worse
Power has been one of the biggest question marks around Cleveland for a while, so it is hard not to look back at the November 2021 deal that sent Junior Caminero to Tampa Bay in exchange for Tobias Myers. At the time, it was the sort of prospect-for-pitching swap front offices make all the time, but the gap between the two players has only grown since then.
Caminero has since emerged as one of the American Leagues most dangerous power bats, breaking through as a full-time major league regular in 2024 and giving the Rays the kind of middle-of-the-order threat the Guardians can only wish they had more often. Myers, meanwhile, never found much traction in Cleveland and is now in Triple-A with the Mets, which leaves this trade looking like another painful reminder of how much value can disappear when a young slugger gets dealt before the breakout arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face A Tough Center Field Decision Fans Can See Coming
The Guardians are staring at one of those decisions that can shape a roster for years, and it is already easy to see why center field is becoming such a focal point. Steven Kwan remains the most established name in the mix, while the organization also has a cluster of younger possibilities in Petey Halpin, Kahlil Watson, Aaron Walton and Jaison Chourio, each bringing a different blend of defense, offense and long-term appeal. For a club that has built so much around finding value before it gets expensive, this is exactly the kind of position where the front office has to balance certainty against upside.
Kwans case is the cleanest in the short term because he has already shown he can handle the job, but the larger question is how far Cleveland wants to go in trying to make him part of the future beyond that. The prospects behind him add intrigue, though none arrives with the same level of certainty, which leaves the Guardians weighing development timelines against the contract realities that usually drive these calls. Center field rarely stays quiet for long, and this is one of those situations where the answer may not be obvious until the club is forced to choose. [Read more 🡒]
Former Guardians Outfielder Just Got Another Shot To Finally Break Through
Johnathan Rodrguez is getting another chance to push his way back into the picture, this time with the Athletics, who claimed the outfielder off waivers from the Pirates and sent him to Triple-A Las Vegas. For a player who has already been designated for assignment by both the Guardians and Orioles this year, the move keeps him in the game and in front of a club that suddenly has room to look for help.
Oaklands outfield injuries could make this a more meaningful landing spot than a typical waiver stop. Rodrguez still has to do the work in Las Vegas, but the path is a little clearer now, and the next stretch could determine whether this becomes just another transaction on his resume or the opening he has been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]