Pirates Release Matt Morris

Well, that was quick. Per Rotoworld:

Pirates released RHP Matt Morris.
Not a surprise, but still a tough blow for the Pirates who are going to have to write him an $11 million check. He was 0-4 with a 9.67 ERA in five starts this year. "Matt Morris has been a true professional," said manager John Russell. "He's had a great career. He wanted to help us win, and it just wasn't happening."

I explained the situation in a nice, heartfelt piece a couple days ago. It was the right move, even though the buy-out is nuts. He lasted only an inning and two thirds in his last start, allowing six runs. Poor guy. Correction: Rich guy.

The Pirates Are Unfocused, I Know This (rhyme?)

I just heard an alarming stat, and I don't use that word often. The Pirates have hit into a double play in each of their 22 games this year. Now, you can blame ownership and the General Manager for the past 15 years of sub-.500 baseball (they haven't had a winning record since 1993), but a double play in every game? That's a lack of focus and can be blamed solely on the players themselves. Possibly the manager has something to do with it, but these days with the ridiculous amount of money players make and the egos that are built because of that, I'm not sure how much a manager can control with regards to an individual player's will to play.

A double play in every game so far. That's horrible. This goes back to the point I made about Matt Morris, who also happens to be a bad Pittsburgh Pirate. It's a happiness thing. There's no way these Pirates players are having a good time playing baseball. That might sound a little too cute to be a legitimate reason they aren't playing good baseball, but it's likely true. They play in front of less than 15,000 people a night. 22 consecutive games hitting into a double play is not about having bad players, it's about having unhappy players, unfocused players.

Matty Mo, You Gotta Go!?!?

"As an organization, we can never rule out releasing a player who cannot help the team win, even if such a release would be expensive," Pirates Team President Frank Coonelly said Wednesday.

This is April, 2008 and that's a quote on the fate of current Pirates' starting pitcher Matt Morris. If the Pirates release Matty Mo anytime soon, it'll cost them $11,037,283.00. That's how bad it's gotten. They're seriously considering signing that fat check and releasing him. What happened? Seven years ago Matt Morris finished in voting for the National League MVP and Cy Young Award with the St. Louis Cardinals. Six years ago he was an all-star. Five years ago he finished second in the league with five complete games and posted a 3.76 ERA. Four years ago, we're in 2004 now, he went 15-10 and the Cardinals were in the World Series. In 2005 he even managed a 14-10 record and posted a somewhat respectable 4.17 ERA. He became an effective "innings eater," throwing nearly 200 innings every year.

After the 2005 season, Matt Morris became a free agent. The Cardinals made him a nice offer, so did others. The San Francisco Giants ended up shelling out $27 million on a three year contract to land him. Morris went 7-7 and shit out a 1.47 WHIP in 136 innings with the Giants before they shipped him in July of 2007 to the Pirates for a 25 year old outfielder by the name of Rajai Davis. Davis hasn't become anything special and probably won't. He's an aging, career minor leaguer, and was recently designated for assignment by the Giants. Yet, it still remains one of the worst trades in recent memory because of Morris' salary. Morris waddled into Pittsburgh and posted a 6.10 ERA through 11 starts. This year, his second year with the Pirates, Morris is off to an 0-3 start with a 9.15 ERA and 1.98 WHIP. And, as I mentioned before, the Pirates are considering releasing him. What happened to Matty Mo? You might think it's age, but it's not. He's only 33. Plenty of pitchers have reached their prime at age 33. Morris should have plenty left in the tank. I honestly think it's a happiness issue. Can happiness have an impact on a pitchers' velocity? I don't know. But it definitely can affect a guy's focus. He had a home in St. Louis and pitched his whole career in the Cardinals' system. When he left for San Fran, he was following dollar signs, not his heart. Now in Pittsburgh, he probably feels a bit overwhelmed. He is the highest paid player on their team and is performing like a guy that doesn't even deserve the league minimum. Can you believe that? Matt Morris is the highest paid player on a major league squad.

I expect he'll be made a free agent by the end of May. Then maybe he should take a vacation, figure out what happened to his velocity, but mostly just clear his mind. If, or rather when he gets released from the Pirates, some team will take a chance on Matty Mo. He might even have a choice of a couple teams. He'll be given a few minor league starts to show if he's still got it, to see if there's something left in that arm, the same arm that once threw an un-hittable curveball. It's hard to see it working out though, isn't it? Something is wrong mentally and physically with the him. He has had some shoulder issues, as it seems most Cardinals pitchers do. But really, the story of Matt Morris is a mystery and there might not be a single answer. It'd just be nice to see that crumpled #35 Cardinals Ace pennant (brought to me by Papa Johns) stashed under some boxes in my closet once again have some meaning.