Phillies acquire starter Charlie Morton from Pirates
announcing they have acquired veteran right-hander Charlie Morton from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The rebuilding Philadelphia Phillies plucked another mid-range starting pitcher off the trade market on Saturday,Morton, 32, has been an average-to-unspectacular mid-rotation pitcher throughout his eight-year career in Pittsburgh, posting a career 4.54 ERA. He’s only topped 170 innings once, that coming in 2011, so he can’t be viewed as a workhorse. He’s also a little more than one year removed from hip surgery that cost him the beginning of the 2015 season.
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Much like Philadelphia’s trade for Jeremy Hellickson last month, Morton gives them another veteran presence in a rotation that figures to feature several young talents in the near future, including Aaron Nola, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 draft. There’s not a huge commitment financially, as Morton is owed $8 million in 2016. He also carries a $9.5 million mutual option for 2017 that comes with a $1 million buyout.
Like Hellickson, Morton is a pitcher that might not be as attractive to a contender right now, but serves as a worthwhile gamble to a rebuilding team like Philadelphia. If he flounders, it’s no big loss. If he succeeds, they can keep him around or turn his new found value around for a couple prospects during the season. It’s basically an $8 million lottery ticket, which is far from a bad investment.
The Phillies have a third veteran who falls into this category in left-hander Matt Harrison, whom they acquired in the Cole Hamels trade in July. There’s no indication though what Harrison’s status will be as he continues dealing with back issues.
On the Pirates side, the trade continues the trend of shedding payroll this winter after non-tendering Pedro Alvarez and trading Neil Walker to the Mets during the Winter Meetings.
Though it does sound like they have some bigger plans in mind, and perhaps already in motion.
Let the speculation begin on what that might entail.
The Pirates acquired right-handed pitcher David Whitehead in the one-for-one deal for Morton. Whitehead was a 34th round pick by Philadelphia in 2013 draft. He’s viewed as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter, but has some developing to do yet after an inconsistent season in A-Ball.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813