Yankees have traded a former top prospect to the Guardians

On Tuesday, the New York Yankees dealt former No. 1 prospect Estevan Florial to the Cleveland Guardians. They obtained right-handed reliever Cody Morris in exchange.

Yankees Trade Estevan Florial to Guardians

Florial, 26, originally signed with the Yankees in 2014, but was forced to wait until 2015 after failing to submit a birth certificate. Following that, he immediately rose to the top of the Yankees’ farm system. Florial appeared to be on the verge of making his major league debut until 2018, when injuries caused significant delays in his development. Regardless, he was named the team’s top prospect in 2019. On August 28, 2020, he made his major league debut. Over the next few years, however, the Yankees’ roster was frequently overloaded with outfielders, and he was primarily demoted to the minors.

Florial joined the Opening Day roster in 2023, but was shortly demoted. In Triple-A, he hit.284 with 28 home runs, 79 RBI, 66 walks, and 25 steals. When New York fell out of postseason contention, he got his longest stint in the majors, staying until the end of the season. Florial participated in only 48 major league games throughout his four seasons with the Yankees. He has a.209 batting average, one home run, 11 RBI, and a.609 OPS. Florial may be able to reach his full potential if he is given more playing time in Cleveland. Despite the Yankees’ injury difficulties, he never had a chance to prosper in New York.

Morris is Bronx Bound

Cody Morris, a promising middle reliever, is heading to the Yankees as part of the deal. He made his Guardians debut in 2022 after being chosen by the Baltimore Orioles in 2015 and subsequently by Cleveland in 2018. The 27-year-old has only played in 13 major league games in the last two seasons. Nonetheless, this experience may provide him an advantage in making the Opening Day roster.