Charlie Morton's depressing quote before DFA showed just how dejected Tigers are

Heartbreaking, indeed.

Emma Lingan

Houston Astros v Detroit Tigers / Mark Cunningham/GettyImages

When Charlie Morton first joined the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline, he appeared to be as advertised. He delivered a handful of quality performances, providing the Tigers with exactly the kind of veteran stability they were seeking in their rotation.

Then, suddenly, his performance declined sharply – and at the worst possible time, with Detroit making a final push toward an American League Central division title. Morton registered an 11.60 ERA over his last five starts, all of which were Tigers losses.

A series of shaky starts culminated in Morton's worst performance of the season for Detroit on Friday against his former team, the Atlanta Braves. He was roughed up for six runs in just 1⅓ innings against the Braves as the Tigers suffered a 10-1 loss and saw their AL Central lead over the Cleveland Guardians shrink even more.

“It’s heartbreaking," Morton said after the loss (via Jacob Richman of MLive). "Getting to a place here in Detroit with a really good team, a team that traded for you and wants you to be here, and feeling like I was in a really good spot. I felt like I battled to get back to where I had been. Tonight, a really crucial time of the year and yeah, it’s heartbreaking. It’s really disappointing.”

Heartbreaking, indeed ... because on Sunday morning, Morton was designated for assignment as Scott Harris' trade deadline went up in flames. In the corresponding move, the Tigers recalled pitcher Tanner Rainey.

Tigers are down bad after disastrous Charlie Morton start vs. Braves

At age 41, Morton's velocity and sharpness have declined noticeably. His signature curveball just doesn’t bite the same way. He has also struggled with inconsistent command, with walks and hit batters piling up quickly. It became a problem that the Tigers could no longer ignore, especially at this time of year.

Posting a 7.09 ERA across 39⅓ innings in nine appearances. Morton was slated to make one more regular season start Thursday against the Guardians, who are now just ONE game back of the Tigers in the AL Central race. But it's clear both manager AJ Hinch and the front office determined that wasn't a risk the team could take.

Originally acquired for his veteran postseason experience as a starter, Morton has already thrown his last pitch as a Tiger, and it's unclear what's in store for him for 2026 as he heads into his age-42 season.

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.