The New York Yankees’ World Series aspirations may not be realistic if they stand pat at the deadline. As things stand, the current roster has demonstrated that it is a very competitive ballclub that can make a deep postseason push. However, general manager Brian Cashman could make external additions to help get the Yankees there.
Aside from Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, the Yankees’ rotation has many question marks about the reliability of starters like Will Warren and Marcus Stroman. Also, New York is waiting for the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil, to make his season debut after suffering a high-grade lat strain near the start of spring training.
The Yankees are undoubtedly one of the contending teams in Major League Baseball that will target starting pitching help at this year’s trade deadline. Could they seek an in-division trade?
Yankees-Orioles Trade Pitch Sends 18-Year Veteran to the Bronx
Unexpectedly, the Baltimore Orioles are a club that is not in playoff contention in 2025. They sit in last place in the AL East and are 8.5 games back for the third Wild Card spot.
With several impending free agents on the Orioles’ roster, expect Baltimore and general manager Mike Elias to revamp the roster and their minor league depth for future seasons. One free agent to be that should be on the move is 41-year-old starting pitcher Charlie Morton.
“While he has struggled at times this season, Morton has a ton of playoff experience, having won World Series titles with the Astros in 2017 and Braves in 2021,” Sports Illustrated’s Ryan Phillips wrote about Morton on Tuesday. “Given his age and the fact that he’s a pure rental, he shouldn’t be wildly expensive at the deadline, despite there not being a ton of starting pitching available.”
On a one-year contract with the Orioles, Morton began the season by posting a 9.26 ERA in 23.1 innings in April, but he’s performed better recently. He had a 2.88 ERA in five starts (25 innings) in June and managed to record 32 strikeouts compared to only eight walks.
Morton loves throwing his curveball in any count and is keeping hitters to a .240 batting average this season against the breaking ball. At 41, he’s kept his fastball velocity between 94-95 mph, similar to Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays, whose average fastball velocity this season is 93.5 mph.
How Can Morton Help the Yankees?
No, the New York Yankees are not likely to have Morton make a start in the postseason if they were to acquire him. Luckily, they are not that desperate.
“While the Yankees’ primary need is a third baseman, they could use another arm. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are solid atop the team’s rotation, but after that, things get a little murky,” wrote Phillips.
“As a whole, the team’s starters rank seventh in baseball in ERA (3.74), and Clarke Schmidt was having an excellent season before suffering an elbow injury that will require Tommy John surgery. Luis Gil is on his way back, but with Gerrit Cole also out for the year, adding a reliable starter with postseason experience would be huge.”
With no strings attached to Morton after the season, he could be a reliable innings eater down the stretch. The two-time World Series champion has 80 innings of postseason experience and knows what it takes to win a title, something the Yankees have not accomplished since 2009.
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