Yankees sign Guardians reliever who might scare you as minor-league bullpen depth

There's no such thing as a bad minor-league deal — unless, of course, the player is quite bad and he ends up pitching real MLB innings as a stand-in for the higher-profile options your GM passed on. In that case, sometimes minor-league deals are bad.

The Yankees seem to have landed on their first choice to be the Bullpen Mitch Garver, and it's going to have you crossing your fingers even harder that Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt can stay healthy and find another gear.

Eli Morgan, welcome to the New York (Scranton-Wilkes/Barre) Yankees (RailRiders, for now)!

Yankees sign former playoff foe Eli Morgan after tough Royals, Cubs stretches

If you remember Morgan at all, you recall him as the sort of surprisingly effective swingman/middle reliever in the Guardians' impressive 2022-2024 bullpens. He posted a 3.38 ERA in 66 2/3 innings in '22, then allowed one run in two appearances against the Yankees in the "Rock the Baby" series that stretched to five games. 2024 was his best year — 1.93 ERA, 30 hits in 42 innings — but his FIP (3.64) hinted at regression back to a good-not-great mean. He got the Yankees three times in the ALCS that year for 2 1/3 hitless innings, and ended up flipped to the Cubs in a minor deal when the season ended.

The Cubs wish he'd never been flipped; he pitched in only seven big-league games, allowing 12 hits and 10 earned runs, good for a 12.27 ERA. A right elbow impingement did him in, and he's yet to get his MLB groove back this season, either, posting a 5.12 ERA for the Royals. He's been Mr. Hyde with Triple-A Omaha, though, holding a 1.40 ERA in 25 2/3 Triple-A innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, striking out 35.

If he can replicate that over the next few weeks, he could potentially get a call if calamity strikes. For now, though, the Yankees' Plan A definitely involves cramming Schmidt and Gil (and Max Fried) onto their expanded September roster while also trying to fudge a bunch of familiar outfielders into the mix. It'll be tough for Morgan to break through, but he'll be down on the farm for depth if need be.

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