NEWS NOW: Braves’ Charlie Morton makes final decision

Charlie Morton was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2002, and it was a fun full circle moment when the team signed him prior to the 2021 season. It was hoped that he still had a season or two left in his arm. Few genuinely believed that things would work out the way they did.

After four seasons, Morton had pitched 686.1 innings for the Braves with 771 strikeouts and only 269 walks, good for a 3.87 ERA. The critics, including myself, would predict that Father Time would catch up with him every year, but Morton would go on to produce another 160+ quality innings. The Braves fail to qualify for the 2021 World Series without Morton.

Unfortunately, Morton will no longer be playing for Atlanta. Some believed he would either retire from baseball or wait for Atlanta to call him when the Braves let him walk after the season. Rather, on Friday, Morton agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract with the Orioles.

The Braves have lost a backup option after Charlie Morton signs a contract with the Orioles.
The number of times the Braves had brought Morton back in the past left plenty of room for speculation that they would do so again at some point. The prevailing conjecture, however, was that if the deal was in the $10 million range, Atlanta might be open to a reunion.

To be honest, Baltimore’s $15 million investment in the 41-year-old was commendable.In all honesty, the Braves simply had to move on. As effective as Morton has been, relying on aging arms simply is not sustainable. If

Nevertheless, Morton is no longer a backup option for the Braves’ rotation. Since Baltimore is a fun team and Morton deserves all the success in the world, one hopes he does well there. He also received a lot more than he probably should have, but that does not justify the Braves giving Morton $15 million—that would have been a terrible deal. Sadly, his profit is just another illustration of how the market is shifting while the Braves continue to wait for the ideal moment.