MLB Hot Stove: Astros sign Charlie Morton to two-year contract
The team announced the deal on Wednesday, providing rotation depth in Houston
By
Dayn Perry
•
1 min read
The Astros on Wednesday announced they have signed veteran right-hander Charlie Morton to a two-year contract. Per Ken Rosenthal, the deal will pay Morton a total of $14 million through 2018 with the opportunity for additional incentives.
Morton, 33, owns an ERA+ of 84 and a K/BB ratio of 1.87 across parts of nine big-league seasons. Of his 162 career games pitched, 161 have been starts. For the Phillies last season, Morton made only four starts before a torn hamstring and subsequent surgery ended his season.
Morton's overall numbers in recent seasons have been stronger, and his strong and established ground-ball tendencies should be a good fit for an Astros infield that makes heavy use of shifts and data-driven positioning.
The addition of Morton indeed gives Houston much-needed rotation depth. This offseason, they're faced with the potential loss of Doug Fister via free agency, and Lance McCullers, while highly promising, battled arm problems for much of last season.
