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The Detroit Tigers made a move at the 2025 trade deadline that feels more like a gamble than a playoff push. In acquiring 41-year-old right-hander Charlie Morton from the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit added postseason experience—but did they actually improve?
Detroit is tied for the best record in the American League, and it’s clear they needed starting pitching help following injuries to Reese Olson and delayed returns for Alex Cobb. In theory, adding a veteran like Morton—who has over 80 innings of postseason experience and a ring with A.J. Hinch's 2017 Astros—makes sense.
Morton has been wildly inconsistent. His early-season performance with Baltimore was borderline unplayable—posting a 10.89 ERA in his first five starts. He was demoted to the bullpen and looked cooked. But since May 26, the veteran has found something again. In his last 11 starts, Morton carries a respectable 3.88 ERA across 60.1 innings. That’s solid—but not dominant—and far from a sure bet in a postseason rotation.
Tigers are taking a risk with more questions than upside
More troubling, Morton has a 5.42 ERA over the full season, with 48 walks in 101⅓ innings. That 10.3% walk rate ranks in the bottom quarter of MLB. He’s also prone to home runs and hard contact when he misses his spots. In a rotation that already includes Chris Paddack (4.77 ERA), Jack Flaherty (4.51 ERA), and an inconsistent Casey Mize (3.43 ERA but health concerns), Morton doesn't exactly inspire playoff confidence.
Detroit's decision to move promising rookie Troy Melton to the bullpen to make room only adds to the confusion. Melton, 24, has electric stuff—including a 97 mph heater—and while he’s raw, many would argue his ceiling right now is higher than Morton’s floor.
Also, consider this: Merrill Kelly (3.22 ERA) and Adrian Houser (2.10 ERA) were both moved at the deadline. Either one would’ve been a better option than Morton. But they required higher prospect costs—and Detroit wasn’t willing to pay. That’s where this move feels like a missed opportunity. The Tigers needed a rotation upgrade; they settled for something safer and cheaper. That may haunt them in October.
Morton’s postseason pedigree earns him respect, but the Tigers needed more than a name—they needed a difference-maker. Morton doesn’t fit that bill in 2025.
Orioles’ selling low, but smartly
For Baltimore, this was a classic “get what you can” situation. Morton was signed to a one-year, $15 million deal in January to eat innings, but his brutal start made that plan obsolete. The team demoted him, brought him back, and watched him regain just enough value to make him tradable.
They weren't going to get a top prospect for a 41-year-old with a bloated ERA and nearly $5 million left on his deal, so getting a live arm like Micah Ashman is a decent win. Ashman, 22, was drafted in the 11th round just last year but has impressed with a 1.49 ERA, 50 strikeouts, and only nine walks in 42⅔ innings this season. He recently moved to Double-A and could be a fast riser through Baltimore’s system.
Sure, Ashman isn’t on any top-30 prospect list—yet—but he’s already outperforming expectations and fits the mold of a potential high-leverage reliever.
The Orioles also cleared a rotation logjam (they had been rumored to shop three starters), offloaded Morton’s salary, and made space for younger arms to get innings. It's a pragmatic move from GM Mike Elias during what’s been an active, if chaotic, deadline stretch for Baltimore.
Baltimore didn’t get much, but that’s not the point. They turned a fading asset into a low-risk, high-upside bullpen prospect and shed salary. In that context, it’s a win.
The Tigers needed a real boost to their rotation. Instead, they got an aging veteran who may not even be better than the rookie they just demoted to accommodate him. If Morton turns back the clock in the postseason, Detroit may prove the doubters wrong. But right now, this looks like a move based on nostalgia, not numbers.
Baltimore, meanwhile, salvaged value from a signing that didn’t work out. It’s not flashy, but it’s forward-thinking.
Tigers: D | Orioles: C+
A rare deal where the seller wins just by selling, and the buyer walks away with more questions than answers.
