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There was a point this season where the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers appeared to be the two best teams in baseball, and with the final week of the regular season arriving, that is no longer the case. While the Cubs have clinched a spot in the playoffs, the Tigers are trying to stave off the Cleveland Guardians, and over the weekend, they admitted that one of their deadline moves was a mistake.
On Sunday, the Tigers announced that they had designated veteran starting pitcher Charlie Morton for assignment. Morton was an oft-rumored target for the Cubs at the deadline, but it was a last-minute deal between the Tigers and Baltimore Orioles that saw the veteran starter join a push for the postseason.
Cubs fans dodged a deadline disaster and the Tigers just proved it
The Tigers have been one of the worst teams in baseball in September, entering the day with a record of 5-12. Not only are the Guardians only one game away from overtaking the Tigers in the American League Central, but Detroit could easily be on the outside of the playoff race by the time the week is over.
Morton's struggles certainly have played a part in the Tigers' collapse. In 9 starts with the Tigers, Morton had an ERA of 7.09 and was walking over 12% of the hitters he faced. While there was a stretch of time this season where Morton turned back the clock with the Orioles, making him one of the more desirable starting pitchers on the trade market, it seems that the game has once again caught up with the 41-year-old.
As the Cubs were rumored to be looking into trade options that have experience and could be perceived as a reclamation project, Morton was a heavily discussed option ahead of the deadline. Of course, the Cubs opted to trade for Michael Soroka, and while a shoulder injury has wiped out most of his time on the North Side, Soroka could be an x-factor in the bullpen for the Cubs in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Morton could be watching the playoffs from home.
It's another reminder that sometimes, the best move a team can make is the one they don't make. The Cubs didn't have a great deadline, but if Morton was the key addition to their pitching rotation, the animosity from the fanbase toward Jed Hoyer would only have been stronger.