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After a second straight season of taking the National League East division crown in the regular season only to be eliminated with just a single playoff win to show for it, the Philadelphia Phillies will be making some changes.
Firstly, the team will have to re-sign or move away from a trio of star free agents in Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto and Ranger Suarez. And beyond that, the team will be looking for some new faces to add to the roster in hopes of mixing things up and returning to the World Series.
The organization will also be making some changes beyond the big-league roster. Top prospect Andrew Painter should get a shot at a callup next year and the Phillies might also move fellow minor leaguers Aiden Miller and Justin Crawford.
As the Phillies look to address their major and minor league rosters, the organization has apparently added a young pitcher who took to social media to announce the move himself.
"Excited to announce I have signed with the Philadelphia Phillies organization!" M.T. Morrissey wrote in a post on his personal Instagram account. "Thank you to all my family, friends and coaches who have supported me over the years. I am blessed to have such great people in my life. It's been a long, difficult path to get to this point. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible."
With Morrissey frontrunning any official announcement from the team, contract details weren't immediately available. But he did punctuate the post with a clear five-word statement about what his near future plans are.
"Excited to get to work!" Morrissey added.
Pitching at the NCAA level this past season, Morrissey logged more than 81 innings with a 5.03 ERA and 77 strikeouts for the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also pitched in the Major League Baseball Draft League, where he maintained a 3.94 ERA over more than 45 innings.
"Morrissey signed with the independent Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft league, joining other free agents fresh out of college for a chance to improve their stock as free agents," Jon Paul Hoornstra reported for Newsweek. "The Philadelphia Phillies took notice when the right-hander went 3-0 with a 3.94 ERA in eight games last summer."
Ahead of an announcement or official transaction posting, it's hard to say where Morrissey might begin his career in the Phillies' organization. But with plenty of change coming to all of its levels, he should find some opportunity to move up the ladder soon.