When the Pittsburgh Pirates gave Charlie Morton an extension during the 2013-14 off-season, you could see the reasoning behind the move. Morton was coming off a year where he posted a 3.26 ERA in 116 innings. He overhauled his mechanics in 2011 and became a new pitcher. Outside of his 2012 season — which was impacted by an elbow that eventually needed Tommy John surgery — he has been fantastic with those new mechanics. And the 2013 version of Morton was when things were at their best.
The Pirates extended him, hoping to get the 2013 version. That didn’t work out so well last year, as Morton developed a hip injury, resulting in hernia surgery over the off-season.