It turns out the 2024 season wasn’t Charlie Morton’s last. But it appears it was his final campaign with the Braves.
Morton, 41, signed a one-year deal worth a reported $15 million deal with the Orioles on Friday. The team announced the signing. This will be Morton’s 18th major-league season.
Originally a Braves prospect, Morton spent parts of five seasons with the franchise across two separate stints. He debuted for the Braves in 2008 and was traded to Pittsburgh in a deal for outfielder Nate McLouth in June 2009. He returned a savvy veteran in 2021, helping the Braves win their second World Series championship since moving to Atlanta.
Morton has been a foundational piece in the Braves’ rotation over the past four seasons. He had a 3.87 ERA in 124 starts. In 2024, Morton had a 4.19 ERA over 165-1/3 innings (30 starts). He covered at least 163 innings in each of his four seasons since reuniting with the Braves.
The Braves thanked Morton in a social-media post after the signing became official: “On behalf of Braves Country, thank you Charlie! World Champs forever.”
There was an expectation by some that Morton would retire following this past season. After the Braves were eliminated in the Wild Card Series, Morton said he’d take time to discuss his future with his family. As the winter went on, there were rumblings that Morton wasn’t quite finished yet.
The Braves, obviously, weren’t inclined to retain him at a similar rate to past years. The Braves paid Morton $15 million in 2021 and $20 million in each of the next three seasons.
In Baltimore, Morton joins a contender that hosts spring training in Sarasota, Florida, near Morton’s home in Bradenton. The Orioles lost ace Corbin Burnes in free agency and have needed rotation reinforcements. They’re one of the young, budding teams in baseball and after consecutive postseason berths, they’re trying to break through to the next level — as the Braves were when Morton rejoined the franchise.
The Braves’ rotation will look different in 2025. Morton is gone, as is mainstay lefty Max Fried, who signed a lucrative deal with the Yankees. Neither pitcher was expected back with the team this season, but their departures subtract 339-2/3 innings from the rotation.
Now, the Braves have strikeout artist Spencer Strider returning to the group sometime early in the season, which will help. They also have Cy Young winner Chris Sale, breakout righty Reynaldo Lopez and up-and-comer Spencer Schwellenbach returning. Despite their losses, the Braves boast one on the National League’s better rotations on paper.
It’s been a quiet, borderline silent offseason in Atlanta. The Braves should be healthier this season after getting depleted by injuries a year ago, but they could still use help in the rotation, bullpen and outfield — along with potentially upgrading at shortstop, though as each option comes off the board, it seems likelier Orlando Arcia again mans that position.
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