Cubs Rumors: A Brandon Morrow reunion could be a win-win

David Ross’ club in need of bullpen help this offseason. Recent Cubs rumors seem to indicate Brandon Morrow could be an option via a minor league deal.

Brandon Morrow had a very disappointing run as a member of the Chicago Cubs. The club signed the veteran right-hander before the 2018 season to a two-year, $21 million contract with a club option for 2020. At the time of the signing, it looks like a good move because the Cubs needed a dominant back-end bullpen arm after letting Wade Davis hit free agency.

Morrow, when healthy, was a dominant closer for the Cubs during the first half of the 2018 season, posting a 1.47 ERA in 30 2/3 innings of work.This was exactly what the Cubs were hoping for out of Morrow. But that’s when it all went wrong. Morrow hit the shelf with an elbow injury in July 2018 – and hasn’t returned to a big league mound since.

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It was no surprise that at the beginning of this offseason the Cubs declined Morrow’s $12 million club option in lieu of a $3 million buyout, meaning Morrow is a free agent.

According to one of the latest Cubs rumors from Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Morrow Cubs era might not be over. The Cubs could be looking to bring Morrow back on a minor league deal.

Wittenmyer had a conversation with Morrow’s agent Joel Wolfe, who talked about the possibility of seeing Morrow play for the Cubs again.

“Brandon feels a certain sense of loyalty and obligation back to the Cubs to stay with them if they want him on a minor-league contract or something like that. He signed with the Cubs because he thought they were the best organization out there for him, and he still believes that.”

Now I get where a lot of Cubs fans will be coming from when they say the Cubs should stay far away from Morrow because of the injuries in the past and a part of me feels the same way in not wanting to take another chance on him.

But I also think if the Cubs do sign him to a minor league deal it could work out tremendously for the Cubs. It has to be a minor league deal though. It has the opportunity to be a super low-risk, high reward signing for the Cubs. We all saw how good Morrow was when he was healthy and if we could get that guy again for super cheap that would be a win.

I’m all for trying to get Morrow back on a minor league deal to be the setup guy for closer Craig Kimbrel. If healthy, the two could come together in a lights-out late-inning duo. Let’s hope this, unlike so many Cubs rumors, plays out.