It’s easy to forget that Brandon Morrow DID have considerable success with the Cubs a few seasons ago. It’s just that he got hurt after a half-season, and then never pitched again for the Cubs despite multiple attempts at coming back. You can’t bear him any ill-will.
And he’s still trying to come back. After re-signing with the Cubs on a minor league deal this past season, but then opting out because of the pandemic, Morrow will try to return to where he last broke out:
The Dodgers have signed Brandon Morrow to a minor-league deal, per source. Morrow was a shutdown reliever for the Dodgers in 2017, but hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since 2018. @JeffPassan had it first.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) December 11, 2020
Now 36, Morrow has always been quite good when he’s been healthy enough to pitch, but that has been a very rare thing. The Cubs took a big swing on him after his 2017 breakout with the Dodgers, knowing full well that the risk with him was considerable. Unfortunately for the Cubs, that risk manifested in a litany of injuries and surgeries, and they didn’t really get much for their investment.
Again, though, it’s impossible to wish Morrow anything but luck in whatever comes next. The guy was grinding for years trying to come back. Getting procedures done. Rehabbing. Being set back. Rehabbing again. On and on. He tried. It just didn’t work out.
Now watch him dominate for the Dodgers in 2021 …