Tampa Bay adds free agent Morton to rotation
The Tampa Bay Rays are perfectly comfortable putting relief pitchers on the mound to begin games. But the chance to add an All-Star to their patchwork rotation, that was too good to pass up.
Coming off a career-high 30 starts, Charlie Morton reached a $30 million, twoyear contract with the Rays, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old Morton was a first-time All-Star last season when he went 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA for Houston. Morton helped the Astros win their first championship in 2017. He started and won Game 7 of the AL Championship Series against the Yankees, then was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers with four innings of relief.
The right-hander joins a Rays staff led by AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. The Tampa Bay rotation was wrecked by injuries this year, and the team often used relief pitchers as starters in their “opener” strategy on the way to 90 wins. The Rays’ approach became a trend in baseball, especially when teams saw how well it worked. Tampa Bay went 46-38 with traditional starters and was 4434 when using relievers at the start.
Morton’s success with the Astros came after a career that had been beset by injuries. He’d undergone Tommy John surgery and was just 46-71 with Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia befor going to Houston.
GORKYS HERNANDEZ FINDS A JOB >> The Boston Red Sox have reached agreement with free agent outfielder Gorkys Hernandez on a minor league deal. Hernandez, 31 hit 15 home runs while batting .234 with 40 RBIs in 142 games for the Giants last season. The Giants opted not to offer Hernandez a contract for next year.
NFL
SEAHAWKS’ KENDRICK DONE FOR SEASON >> Seattle will be without linebacker Mychal Kendricks for the rest of the season after he suffered a Joe Flacco, the starting quarterback in Baltimore since his rookie season, lost his job and will be the backup Sunday.
knee and lower leg injury in the Seahawks’ win over Minnesota. Coach Pete Carroll said that Kendricks, a former Cal linebacker, will need surgery for a couple of different issues, including the knee and “a little nick” to his lower leg. Carroll said Kendricks would need at least six to eight weeks of recovery. FLACCO TO THE BENCH >> Joe Flacco has lost his job as Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback and will be the backup Sunday for the first time in his 11-year NFL career. Flacco is finally healthy after missing the past four games because of a right hip injury. The Ravens went 3-1 during his absence under rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, and coach John Harbaugh has decided to stick with the first-round draft pick with Baltimore striving to end a three-year playoff drought. Jackson will start Sunday when the Ravens (7-6) host Tampa Bay (5-8). Flacco, 33, has been a starter since his rookie season in 2008. 2020 DRAFT IN VEGAS >> The NFL announced that Las Vegas, where the Raiders will begin play in September 2020, will host the draft that April 23-25. The NFL began to bring the draft to different cities in 2015, when it was in Chicago. It was held there in 2016, too, then went to Philadelphia in 2017. Last April, the Cowboys hosted it in their stadium in Arlington, Texas, and next year it will be in Nashville.
WENTZ HURT >> Carson Wentz is sidelined with a back injury, but two people
familiar with the situation tell The Associated Press the quarterback hasn’t been ruled out for Philadelphia’s game at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team hasn’t made any definitive determination.
“Carson has a little bit of back soreness, a little tightness, so we’re going to rest him today, continue to evaluate him and make sure he’s good,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said.
Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles would start if Wentz can’t play.
FIVE INTERNATIONAL GAMES IN 2019 >> The NFL will stage four games in London and one in Mexico City next season, with the Jaguars, Chargers, Rams, Raiders and Buccaneers serving as hosts. When the games will be played and who the opponents will be won’t be announced until the spring, when the league schedule for 2019 is released. BEARS’ CALLAHAN OUT FOR SEASON >> The Bears have placed cornerback Bryce Callahan, hurt in Sunday night’s win, on injured reserve because of a broken left foot. Coach Matt Nagy says Callahan will need surgery.
LEAGUE WON’T PAY FOR VIDEO >> The NFL defended its investigation of former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, with one of the league’s top investigative officials saying that the league office did not repeat the mistakes made in the Ray Rice case in 2014. B. Todd Jones, the NFL’s special counsel for conduct, said the league wanted to have a more complete understanding of the case before interviewing Hunt about a February incident in which video showed him shoving and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel.
Jones also said that the NFL is unlikely to begin paying confidential sources to obtain video such as the one released by TMZ in the Hunt case, contending that such a tactic would be “mercenary” and “opens up a Pandora’s box” of unsavory possibilities.
NBA
KINGS EXECUTIVE ADMITS TO DEFRAUDING TEAM >> Court records show a former Sacramento Kings top executive has agreed to plead guilty to siphoning $13.4 million from the team to buy Southern California beachfront properties. Federal prosecutors in Sacramento filed charges and a plea agreement signed by former chief revenue officer Jeffrey David admitting to forging the team president’s signature to divert sponsorship payments to a bank account he controlled.
MLS
QUAKES ACQUIRE PICK >> The Earthquakes acquired a second-round selection in the 2019 MLS draft from the New York Red Bulls for the first overall selection in the 2018 MLS waiver draft.
Swimming
SHORT-COURSE RECORD >> The United States set a world record in the 4x50meter mixed freestyle at the world short-course swimming championships in Hanhzhou, China. Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held, Mallory Comerford and Kelsi Dahlia won in 1 minute, 27.89 seconds.
NHL
FORMER REFEREE WANTS WOMEN OFFICIATING >> Paul Stewart, being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, has a very big goal for the next stage of his career, and that’s helping women follow in his footsteps by officiating in the NHL. Five women took part in the NHL’s officiating combine in Buffalo in August, one more than 2017.