Yankees News: Cody Morris Traded to NY from Guardians for Estevan Florial

The New York Yankees added depth to their pitching staff on Tuesday by acquiring Cody Morris from the Cleveland Guardians.

New York announced it sent Estevan Florial to the Guardians in exchange for the right-handed pitcher.

Florial signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2015. There was a point when it looked like he was going to be a big part of their future.

MLB.com ranked Florial among the top 60 prospects in baseball before the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Despite the enormous upside Florial has shown based on his physical profile and in the minors, the performance has never translated during his brief stints in MLB. He owns a .209/313/.296 slash line with one homer and 11 RBI with 115 at-bats in 48 games.

The acquisitions of Juan Soto and Trent Grisham earlier this month left the Yankees with a surplus of outfielders. Florial had clearly fallen out of their long-term plans, so this allows him to get a fresh start with a team that might be able to offer him regular playing time.

Florial is capable of playing center field, a position that has been a black hole of production for the Guardians. Myles Straw is an excellent defensive player with a Gold Glove award from the 2022 season, but he's hit .229/.296/.284 in 299 games over the past two years.

Morris was a seventh-round draft pick by the Guardians in 2018. He made his big-league debut in 2022, posting a 2.28 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.

In six relief appearances last season, Morris had a 6.75 ERA with 10 hits allowed, nine strikeouts and six walks in eight innings.

Morris will likely go into spring training competing for a job in New York's bullpen. He can also be stretched out as a starter if the Yankees need someone to step in because of an injury.