The Baltimore Orioles have been one of Major League Baseball's most disappointing teams during the 2025 season, and appear prepared to sell as the trade deadline approaches. One of those pieces likely to move is veteran 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. 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.
In 21 appearances (15 starts) this season, Morton is 5-8 with a 5.58 ERA, a 1.56 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings. But he has improved lately. In his last 12 appearances he's 5-1 with a 3.47 ERA, a 3.30 FIP, a 1.26 WHIP and 64 strikeouts in 57 innings.
What follows is a look at four teams who could be interested in the 41-year-old.
New York Yankees
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. 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.
San Diego Padres
The Padres could use upgrades at catcher and in the outfield, but they're another team that might need a low-cost arm. Yu Darvish has finally returned to the mound, but projected ace Michael King hasn't pitched since May 18 as he deals with a nerve issue in his shoulder. He might be on his way back, but no one knows how long that will take.
The current group of starters ranks 11th in ERA leaguewide (3.91). This is another team that could use an insurance arm like Morton.
Houston Astros
Like the previous two teams, the Astros have solid starters, but are missing the rotational depth they might need to win a World Series. Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have been outstanding this year, but four potential starters have dealt with injures. Spencer Arrighetti is on his way back from a thumb injury and Cristian Javier is attempting to return from Tommy John surgery. Meanwhile, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski have both undergone Tommy John surgery as well.
As a group, Houston's starters rank 10th in MLB with a 3.84 ERA, but there's almost no room for error. Plus, both sides of the potential deal are already well familiar with one another—a reunion with Morton makes a lot of sense.
New York Mets
The Mets' rotation actually looks solid right now, with Sean Manaea finally back on the mound and Kodai Senga and David Peterson both dealing. But there is a problem edging its way over the horizon, and that's Clay Holmes' innings total. The first-year starting pitcher has tossed 108 2/3 innings, which is 38 2/3 more than his previous career-high. The 32-year-old former closer could start to hit a wall if he continues at this rate. He's been solid this season (8-5, 3.48 ERA), but also had a 5.66 ERA in four July starts.
Adding Morton and giving Holmes and the rest of the rotation a bit of a cushion could be huge for the Mets down the stretch.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Potential Charlie Morton Trade Destinations As Orioles Prepare to Sell.