DETROIT (WXYZ) — In one of the last deals of the MLB trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers acquired right-handed starting pitcher Charlie Morton from the Baltimore Orioles, according to Ken Rosenthal with The Athletic and Jeff Passan with ESPN.
The Athletic and MLB.com reported that the Tigers traded away left-handed pitcher Micah Ashman in the deal.
The 41-year-old has appeared in 23 games this season, posting a 5.42 ERA, a 1.56 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 101.1 innings pitched. Over parts of 18 seasons, Morton has accumulated a 4.08 ERA and a 1.318 WHIP over 406 games and 2,227 innings pitched.
Morton was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2002 amateur draft. He has played for the Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Houston Astros, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Braves again and the Orioles. Morton has been named an All-Star twice (2018 with Houston and 2019 with Tampa Bay), finishing third in AL Cy Young voting in 2019. He's been apart of two World Series winning teams — the Astros in 2017, and the Braves in 2021.
Ashman last pitched with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves. In 2025 with the SeaWolves and High-A West Michigan Whitecaps, Asher has posted a 1.49 ERA, a 0.78 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts in 42.1 innings pitched across 30 games.
Morton is the fifth major league pitcher the Tigers have acquired at the deadline, joining starting RHP Chris Paddack — who picked up his first Tigers win on Wednesday to complete a sweep of the Diamondbacks — reliever Rafael Montero from the Atlanta Braves, reliever Paul Sewald from the Cleveland Guardians, and closer Kyle Finnegan from the Washington Nationals. The Tigers have until 6 p.m. today to make any additional trades.
