Detroit Tigers Lackluster Trade Deadline Exposed With Charlie Morton DFA
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It was a lackluster trade deadline for the Detroit Tigers in terms of adding arms to the rotation for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs. They made some moves that included making some additions to the roster, but when push came to shove, not enough was done with the rotation.
Detroit tried to adjust its rotation by adding Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack at the trade deadline. Since coming to the Tigers from the Baltimore Orioles, Morton has been a disappointment for the most part, and on Sunday, Detroit designated him for assignment.
Morton gave up six earned runs on five hits and two walks in 1.1 innings on Friday night against the Atlanta Braves in a 10-1 loss. The Braves swept the series, outscoring the Tigers 22-10 in the process.
The sweep and move to DFA Morton highlights what a swing and miss of a deadline it was for a team once thought to be a World Series contender. Now they are just trying to hang on over the final week to win the division and get home-field advantage in either the Wild Card round or the Divisional round.
Tigers Lack of Adding Impactful Arms at Trade Deadline Exposed
Detroit swung for Morton and Paddack, and it is a move that isn’t going to work out come October. Morton will likely clear waivers and become a free agent, looking ahead to 2026.
The Tigers are left with Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and Keider Montero as their starting arms over the final week. There could also be a bullpen game mixed in with the series remaining against the Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox on the road.
With just a one-game lead on the Guardians entering play on Sunday, the three-game set this week will decide the division.
At the deadline, some of the top rumored names of Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen, Mitch Keller, and Luis Severino were not moved. If the Tigers went with an offer that blew away one of those teams and they added just one of those arms, then the conversation right now in Detroit with their starting pitching is different from what it is.
Shane Bieber was the biggest starting pitcher moved from the Guardians to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Detroit Controls its Own Destiny
Back on July 31, the Tiger's nine-game lead over Cleveland, which sold some pieces at the deadline, seemed like the division was in control. Now that the Tigers are scratching and clawing just to stay above them in the Central with a week to go, it highlights the struggles the rotation has had.
If they can hold off the Guardians and win the division, they will need to pass the Seattle Mariners as well, just to avoid the Wild Card round. It’s not the finish many envisioned almost two months ago.
The good news is that Detroit controls its own destiny this week, and they have moved around their rotation so that Skubal gets to pitch twice, if needed, to win the division.
Skubal will get the ball in the opener in Cleveland, which allows him to come back on normal rest on Sunday in Boston if necessary.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.