Cleveland Baseball Insider

Is The Bullpen The Best Spot For Cody Morris?

The Cleveland Guardians have a lot options with right-handed pitcher Cody Morris.

Tommy Wild

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One of the most intriguing pieces heading into the 2023 season is what the Cleveland Guardians will do with pitching prospect Cody Morris. 

Morris appeared in seven games for the Guardians in 2022 and started in five of those. He got off to a rocky start after giving up three runs and seven hits over his first two starts but really settled in after that.

The 26-year-old finished the regular season with a 2.28 ERA over 23.2 innings pitched. Morris also pitched two clean innings out of the bullpen in the ALDS against the New York Yankees.

Those stats deserve some consideration for Morris to be on the Big League roster. But in what role?

As for right now, the Guardians' starting rotation appears to be locked in. However, how long that will be the case is another conversation. If Aaron Civale continues to battle injuries and Zach Plesac struggles to perform then Terry Francona and the staff will be forced to make a change.

If they are unwilling to start the service time clock on one of their high-ranked pitching prospects such as Joey Cantillo, Gavin Williams, or Tanner Bibee then Morris is definitely a candidate to step in as the fourth or fifth starter. 

There's still another option though. 

The Guardians could keep him on the Big League roster allowing him to throw extended runs out of the bullpen every two to three days. The other option would be to let him start the season at Triple-A 

Sep 2, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Cody Morris (36) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

I believe that giving Morris another shot in the rotation at some point this season is a low-risk, high-reward situation that I would enjoy watching play out. If Morris sticks, then great, he's found his role. If he struggles over three or four starts then the Guardians have plenty of other options to step in such as going back to Civale or Plesac, or one of the young arms. 

Morris is still working up to throwing off a mound in Spring Training so at this point, he'll most likely start the season he'll start the season in Triple-A and begin in Big League workload out of the bullpen.

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Tommy Wild
TOMMY WILD

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