One of the biggest issues for the Phillies in 2015 was their starting pitching. The issue was the lack of innings thrown by starters, creating a tremendous amount of stress for the bullpen. The Phillies added a great measure of stability to their starting staff on Saturday.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Phillies have acquired starting pitcher Charlie Morton from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies sent minor league pitcher David Whitehead to the Pirates in exchange. The Phillies made room on the 40-man roster by designating for assignment pitcher A.J. Achter. Achter was a waiver claim from the Minnesota Twins. The Phillies may try to get him through waivers and keep him.
Morton was called a "poor man's Roy Halladay", thanks to his similar delivery. The right-handed Morton has never made 30 starts, but has been a reliable arm, some times splitting the fifth starter role. In his career, Morton is 45-70 with a 4.54 ERA.
Morton hopefully will give the Phillies some innings in 2015 and be a good trade chip at the deadline.
