Clint Hurdle On Morton Trade, Team's Offseason
PITTSBURGH (KDKA 93-7 The Fan) - Pirates manager Clint Hurdle joined Colin Dunlap at PirateFest. The Pirates traded Charlie Morton to the Phillies earlier in the day Saturday.
"I've already talked to Charlie. I thanked Charlie for his effort, for his hard work, for being a part of a group of men that pushed us forward to a better place than where we were in 2012. He's a good man, he's given it everything he's got, and we wish him well in Philadelphia," Hurdle said.
Hurdle talked about the emotional toll that trades take on him.
"There is a sting. There's a sting for me when a man like [Neil] Walker moves, there's a sting for me when a man like Morton moves, because I pour into these guys, I care about these guys and I love these guys. That being said, we have an obligation to our ball club to put the best team on the field and even to our fan base to continue to work to put the best team on the field, and there's going to be times when we all don't agree, and I get that," Hurdle said.
Dunlap asked Hurdle about fan perception of the Pirates offseason compared to other teams in the division.
"We're never going to win the offseason. I don't think we'll ever win the offseason. But one thing we've done well the last three years is once the games started, we've been a pretty good team, and I don't anticipate that changing," Hurdle said.
