Charlie Morton is aging like a fine wine, and it seems the wily veteran isn’t done. Following the Braves season, it was a possibility that Morton would sail into the sunset of retirement, but a report from Mark Bowman suggested he was leaning towards pitching again in 2025.
“There was also an assumption that Morton would retire, but the hurler, who will turn 41 on Nov. 12, is leaning toward pitching at least one more season,” Mark Bowman writes for MLB.com. “Atlanta needs some insurance for Spencer Strider, who is returning from right elbow ligament surgery, and the back end of its rotation. Morton could be an option with a one-year deal worth $10-15 million.”
There are very few as plugged into the Braves organization as Bowman, but if you needed more proof, Jeff Passan confirmed that Uncle Chuck “intends” to pitch in his age 41 season.
“Charlie Morton, right-hander: He intends to pitch next season at 41 and remains a reliable innings eater with strikeout ability. He’ll get a one-year deal with a contender,” Passan writes for ESPN.
Some Braves fans don’t love the idea of Charlie Morton returning to Atlanta, but for $10-15 million, I’m all for it. Is he going to be a frontline starter like he was when he first came to town? Of course not, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a void that he can fill.
The back of the rotation needs bolstering. Spencer Strider is expected to miss some time in 2025. There’s also uncertainty among the other members of the rotation. Chris Sale was healthy in 2024, but he has struggled to stay healthy for the better part of the four seasons prior. Reynaldo Lopez battled fatigue issues in his first season with Atlanta, and Spencer Schwellenbach still has never pitched a full season’s worth of innings.
Bringing Morton, who has never pitched fewer than 160 innings since signing with the Braves in 2021, back into the fold should be seen as a positive. Though he finished with a less-than-stellar 4.19 ERA last year, his durability and wisdom are ultra-valuable.
Run it back, Uncle Chuck!
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David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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