The Detroit Tigers made a few moves on MLB Trade Deadline day. First, they made an intriguing trade with the Cleveland Guardians for injured reliever Paul Sewald. Then, they acquired Kyle Finnegan in a deal with the Washington Nationals. Before the buzzer went off on Thursday evening, though, they made another deal involving Baltimore Orioles starter Charlie Morton.
The 41-year-old Morton is heading to the Tigers, as first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. In return, Baltimore is receiving one player. Left-handed pitching prospect Mitch Ashman is headed to the Orioles organization as part of this deal, according to Baltimore beat reporter Jake Rill.
The Tigers are one of the better teams in MLB. They entered the trade deadline seeking to upgrade their pitching without moving top prospects. Morton is the second starting pitcher the team acquired this season. Earlier this week, they traded for Chris Paddack in a deal with the Minnesota Twins.
How Charlie Morton can help Tigers
Detroit saw Paddack make an impressive team debut on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, Tuesday brought forth a potentially worrying sign. All-Star pitcher Casey Mize went just two innings after being pushed back in the rotation due to knee stiffness.
Mize has said that this issue isn't serious and that his knee is fine. However, things can flare up as the season goes along. Furthermore, Detroit is also without Reese Olson for the rest of the season. He is dealing with a shoulder injury.
On the surface, Morton's numbers aren't entirely appealing. In saying this, his numbers are inflated in part due to a horrific start in 2025. Since May 10th, the 41-year-old has pitched to a 3.62 ERA across 69.2 innings.
If Morton can continue this run of form, he can help stabilize the back end of Detroit's rotation. His familiarity with manager AJ Hinch is also a bonus. It won't move the needle, but it's a fine depth move for the AL Central-leading Tigers.
