The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms with free agent right-hander Brandon Morrow on a one-year deal, an industry source told Sportsnet.
Morrow will earn a base salary of $2.5 million plus incentives, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com, who first reported the deal. After years in the American League East, Morrow will now pitch one of the National League’s most pitcher-friendly stadiums, Petco Park.
Morrow, who pitched for the Blue Jays from 2010-2014, completed just 33.1 innings for Toronto in 2014 due to a torn tendon sheath in his index finger.
Morrow, a native of Santa Rosa, CA, was selected by the Seattle Mariners out of Berkeley in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft. He debuted with the Mariners in 2007 and saved 10 games for Seattle in 2008.
Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos acquired Morrow from the Mariners for Johermyn Chavez and Brandon League following the 2009 season at which point the Blue Jays moved Morrow to the rotation full-time.
He showed promise right away, throwing a one-hit, 17-strikeout shutout against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010. By 2012 Morrow’s numbers matched his impressive stuff, as he posted a 2.96 ERA in 124.2 innings. However, he battled injuries to his forearm, calf and finger during the 2013-14 seasons, appearing in a total of 23 games.
While it’s unclear how the Padres intend to use Morrow, he has experience in the rotation and the bullpen. When he returned from the disabled list in September of 2014, he pitched in relief, touching 100 mph.
Morrow drew interest from many teams, some of which viewed him as a reliever.
