The Atlanta Braves have agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract with starting pitcher Charlie Morton. This $15 million deal is the largest that has been signed in this early offseason, which is not saying much, but it is an offseason during a global pandemic.
Source confirms: Free-agent RHP Charlie Morton in agreement with Braves on one-year, $15M contract. First: @Feinsand.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 24, 2020
However, teams like the Braves are still prepping for a 2020 season and need to get their teams shaped up to protect their division title. The Braves are addressing their rotation, which just got a nice boost from Morton.
Morton, now 37 years old, had spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2020, Morton pitched in nine starts, had a 2-2 record, totaling 38 innings on the year. He had a 4.74 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP in 2020 for the Rays and was not the same as the almost Cy Young-winning pitcher he was in 2019.
He was an all-star in 2018 and 2019 who now finds himself back in Atlanta, where his career began back in the 2008 season. The Braves are looking to build and protect; while it is only a one-year deal, it helps them build a rotation that will hopefully help them compete throughout the 2021 season.
As the offseason continues on, the biggest contracts may not be all that big as they are in normal years. Granted, the big-names are not as big this year, but the players will not be given as much in contract negotiations, just based on how the precedent has been set.
A one-year, $15 million contract has been the largest that has been handed out so far. Nonetheless, Morton has a new home and will look to bounce back in 2021 with the Braves.
