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The Yankees decided Tuesday that a once highly regarded prospect was worth sacrificing for a potential high-upside arm.
Exit Estevan Florial and enter Cody Morris in a trade with the Guardians that the Yankees announced.
Morris, 27, appeared in six games for the Guardians as a reliever last season and pitched to a 6.75 ERA.
He throws his fastball in the mid-90s and also features a cutter.
The Yankees can use him as a swingman, jumping between the rotation and bullpen as needed.
Morris appeared in seven games for the Guardians in 2022 (when he made his major league debut) and pitched to a 2.28 ERA.
He was a 32nd-round pick by the Orioles in the 2015 draft.
The trade came as the Yankees look to replenish pitching depth they surrendered in the trades at the winter meetings that yielded Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo.
In the Soto trade, the Yankees sent pitchers Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez and Drew Thorpe to the Padres, along with catcher Kyle Higashioka.
In the Verdugo trade, the Yankees sent right-handers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice to the Red Sox.
Florial, a 26-year-old outfielder, played 19 games for the Yankees last season and owned a .230/.324/.312 slash line with eight RBIs.
Florial appeared in the 2017 Futures Game for the Yankees, but his stock later dropped due to injuries and lack of production.
Even so, he had a resurgence last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he blasted 28 homers in 101 games.
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