Philadelphia Phillies: Is a Charlie Morton homecoming in order?
By David Esser
Should the Philadelphia Phillies look to bring back RHP Charlie Morton?
Following an impressive 42 games with the Tampa Bay Rays (18-8, 3.33 ERA), veteran right-hander Charlie Morton saw his club option declined by the organization. Morton was due to earn $15 million in 2021, and Tampa simply doesn’t pay players that type of money. The soon-to-be 37 year old will hit the open market as a completely unrestricted free agent, and people have already started pinning the Philadelphia Phillies as a potential landing spot.
Morton had a very brief (and I mean very brief) stint with the Phillies back in 2016, starting in just four games for the team before seeing his season ended with a hamstring injury. He was acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for David Whitefield, and would go on to leave in free agency the following offseason.
Morton signed a two-year deal with the Astros in 2017, posting the best statistical season of his career in 2018. He went 15-3, had an ERA of 3.13 and a WHIP of 1.162, and was named to his first ever All Star game.
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Morton signed another two-year deal the following offseason, joining the Tampa Bay Rays as they looked to launch themselves into consistent postseason contention. He had his second All Star season in 2019, and played a large role in the team’s playoff success this past year in 2020.
Due to his high level of play the last couple of seasons, his previous connection to Philly, and the Philadelphia Phillies obvious need for a legitimate #3 starter; Morton definitely fits the mold of someone the team should target. His older age likely means he’s not looking for a sizable financial commitment, and a shorter deal would allow the team to pursue other marquee free agent pitchers down the road as well.
The Phillies could milk 1-2 more solid years out of Morton, stabilizing a solid trio at the top of their rotation with Zach Eflin filling in as an above average #4. Not only does this set the Phillies up for better success than what they saw during the “Jake Arrieta era”, but they could also do it for a far cheaper price.
However, despite a move for Morton making an abundance of success on paper, the Phillies front office has done very little in terms of making it seem like they’d target a “win now” move like Morton. The Phillies current front office structure (led by Andy MacPhail, Ned Rice, and John Middleton) seems intent on rebuilding and cutting payroll. They repeatedly bring up declining revenue in each and every press conference they hold, and their inability to strike a deal with now free agent JT Realmuto proves just how cheap they’re willing to be.
Next. The Philadelphia Phillies are completely blowing up their bullpen. dark
If the Philadelphia Phillies had intentions of going all-in this offseason and trying to win a World Series, then yeah, bringing in Morton on 1-2 year deal makes a ton of sense. However, it appears the organization has different plans for 2021 (aka just completely punting the season away), which means they likely won’t even give Morton a call.