Pirates have to pay ransom to cut Morris
By john • Apr 27th, 2008 • Category: matt morris, pittsburgh piratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates had only one option when it came to getting Matt Morris out of the rotation. Release him. Morris was 0-4 with a 9.67 ERA in his five starts for the team this season and was 3-4 with a 6.10 ERA in 11 starts following a trade from San Fransisco last season.
Morris was once a highly thought of pitcher out of the St. Louis Cardinals organization but Tommy John surgery early in his career seemed to be the ax hanging over his head for the remainder of his career.
There’s a chance Morris could latch on else where but he doesn’t figure to be able to offer much more.
If this is the end of the road for Morris he would finish his career with a 121-92 record and a 3.98 ERA in an 11-year career.
The Pirates will be on the hook for 10 million this season and an addition 1 million to buy out the remainder of Morris’ contract. Morris was accounting for one-fifth of the teams payroll.
Pirate manager John Russell may have summed it up best when he spoke about Morris. “He’s had a great career. He wanted to help us win, and it just wasn’t happening.”
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