Pirates Release Matt Morris: Human Race Says “We Told You So”

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates continued their attempts to wash themselves clean of former GM Dave Littlefield’s reign of terror by releasing pitcher Matt Morris, who the Bucs acquired in early August last season in a trade with the San Francisco Giants. A month after the deal, Littlefield was fired. And now Morris follows suit.

We here at UmpBump mocked the deal for many reasons, including (but not limited to):

1. The Pirates were on the hook for a prorated portion of Morris’ 2007 salary of $9.5M PLUS his 2008 salary of an additional $9.5M. Littlefield pulled the trigger without having San Francisco assume any financial obligations.
2. It actually made Brian Sabean look like a decent General Manager, when the vast majority of the Giants GM’s moves show otherwise.
3. Pittsburgh was going nowhere in 2007. No one - especially not Matt Morris - was going to change that.
4. The deal absolutely reeked of a GM in panic mode. Littlefield was trying desperately to save his own job and didn’t care about the organization’s future in the slightest.

So it really came as no surprise that Morris bombed in Pittsburgh. He made 16 starts for the Bucs, during which he compiled a 3-8 record to go along with a 7.04 ERA. I kind of feel badly for Morris since he’s kind of a victim of circumstance. But then I remember that he’ll still receive his paycheck until the end of the year. So, he’s OK. Pirates fans? Not so sure I can say the same for them. They have a genuine right to be pissed.