Royals sign underrated ex-Guardians bullpen arm after NL Central cameo

After signing former World Series reliever Héctor Neris to minor league deal on Monday and then adding former All-Star starter Aaron Sanchez to the fold on Tuesday, the Kansas City Royals were quickly establishing themselves as late players on the non-roster invitee market.

And on Thursday, the front office was back at it again, signing yet another arm to a MiLB deal to get a good look at during spring training in three weeks time.

This time they took a flier on a former AL Central foe in Eli Morgan, who's a year removed from being a fairly regular figure in the Cleveland Guardians' bullpen after spending an unsuccessful season in the Windy City with the Cubs.

Royals take a minor league flier on a former staple in the Guardians' bullpen, Eli Morgan

A few seasons ago, Morgan would have been a decent get for the Royals bullpen following stints defined by extensive usage in Cleveland.

However, a cameo in Chicago certainly didn't do wonders for the 29-year-old right-hander's career.

When healthy and on the mound in 2025, which was seldomly due to a lengthy stint on the 60-day IL with an elbow impingement, Morgan looked unispiring to put it nicely. In 7.1 innings across seven outings, Morgan threw to a 12.27 ERA, 8.59 FIP, 2.05 WHIP and .375 BAA. He also happened to post a career-low 4.91 K/9 total and career-high 3.68 BB/9 clip.

That being said, seeing the durable quality he can bring to the table after his time with Cleveland is likely what motivated the Royals to give him a shot in Surprise this spring.

After a fairly unsuccessful stint as a starter in 2021 - he posted a 5.34 ERA in 18 starts - Morgan crafted a pair of respectable seasons in relief in both 2022 and 2023.

In '22, he threw to a 3.38 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and .191 BAA in 66.2 innings across 50 appearances (49 of which were as a reliever). Then, come 2023, he took a mild step back but was still heavily relied upon, appearing 67.1 innings across 61 outings, sporting a serviceable 4.01 ERA in the process.

On top of the surface level stats, eclipsing 25.0% K-rates in both years is certainly another thing for the Royals to dream on with a fully healthy Morgan.

Then, there was 2024, where although the injury bug started to nip him, he was excellent once again when he was healthy and on the bump. In 42.0 innings across 32 outings for the Guards, Morgan tossed to a 1.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and .194 BAA.

Now, under the uncertainty that comes with a minor league contract, Morgan isn't a shoo-in for a bullpen role by any means.

However, given his past success as a workhorse, along with some familiarity for the division, if he can stay healthy, it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could break camp or at least get a shot later on in the year if he opts to stay in Triple-A Omaha.