Cubs’ Offseason Deal With Guardians Looking Costly

The Chicago Cubs made several trades over this past offseason with some working out better than others.

Two deals were made with the Houston Astros, the first center around right fielder Kyle Tucker and the second focused on closer Ryan Pressly.

Tucker has been everything as advertised, helping anchor the Cubs lineup all season. Pressly was a mixed bag, getting off to a slow start, stabilizing but ultimately being moved on from, as he was designated for assignment on July 31 after the team acquired relief pitcher Taylor Rogers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

While Jed Hoyer would almost assuredly make both of those deals again, one that he surely wishes he could redo was a deal last November that was completed with the Cleveland Guardians.

Looking for some bullpen help, Chicago acquired Eli Morgan in exchange for outfield prospect Alfonsin Rosario.

Selected in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of P27 Academy in Lexington, South Carolina, he was a raw prospect that possessed some intriguing tools but had some work when it came to his development.

Cubs have lost Alfonsin Rosario/Eli Morgan trade with Guardians

There were some things to like from his professional debut in 2024 at Single-A Myrtle Beach, where he had a .230/.344/.423 slash line with 16 home runs, 18 doubles, four triples and 73 RBI to go along with 20 stolen bases.

The potential was certainly there, with the biggest concern being the 147 strikeouts in 109 games and 456 plate appearances.

There is certainly a chance Rosario still doesn’t develop into a regular contributor at the Major League level, but the Cubs would love to hit the reset button on this trade because he is an ascending prospect and Morgan didn’t provide the team with any positive impact and currently resides on the 60-day injured list.

He made seven appearances, recording a 12.27 ERA across 7.1 innings with an 8.56 FIP. Meanwhile, Rosario has taken his production to another level, being selected by Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report as the biggest prospect breakout for the Guardians in 2025.

“The Guardians acquired him in exchange for reliever Eli Morgan in November, and his 55-power, 60-speed offensive tools have been on display once again this year, accompanied by an improving approach at the plate against higher level competition,” he wrote.

Rosario’s numbers have increased across the board with a .263/.358/.484 slash line with 17 home runs, 16 doubles and three triples to go along with 12 steals and 49 RBI.

Chicago has a lot of highly ranked positional player prospects, but they certainly regret parting with Rosario in exchange for Morgan at this point.

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