Morton, Braves Reunite 12 Years Later

Twelve years, 259 games and four organizations later, SP Charlie Morton is returning to the team that originally drafted him. Rejoice, Atlanta Braves fans, because your 2002 95th overall draft pick is coming home. To this point in the 2020-21 Hot Stove season, the Braves have been the busiest team by signing LHP Drew Smyly, RHP Josh Tomlin, OF Abraham Almonte and, most recently, Morton to a one-year, $15 million deal. 

Morton’s deal is a significant one in many ways. Aside from Morton’s return to the organization that started his career, as a veteran pitcher, he will provide valuable knowledge and experience to a young starting rotation along with an excellent postseason resume. 

The Braves are already a credible threat in the NL East with a thunderous offense led by 2018 ROY OF Ronald Acuña Jr. and 2020 MVP 1B Freddie Freeman. Ranked No. 2 in runs scored (348) and No. 1 in hits (556) in the National League, the Braves had no problem putting up runs when they needed them. Their largest need for improvement was their pitching staff, partially demonstrated during the postseason when they blew a 3-1 series lead against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

The addition of Morton immediately bolsters an already respectable starting rotation. SP Max Fried and SP Ian Anderson were obvious bright spots in the rotation, but SP Kyle Wright, SP Touki Toussaint, SP Robbie Erlin, SP Sean Newcomb and SP Huascar Ynoa were all far less impressive. A condensed 60-game season, among other variables, in addition to their limited MLB experience hindered their capabilities but provided them with a taste of big league action. Morton’s veteran expertise will surely benefit rising stars such as Fried, Anderson and SP Mike Soroka, among others. 

The real win for the Braves is them signing a player with credible postseason experience, which will benefit the organization come October 2021. Morton has demonstrated on several occasions that he is a clutch pitcher in the postseason, evident by his 3.38 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 61.1 innings pitched. His recent stretch with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 and 2020 was his most dominant as he owned an impressive 2.10 ERA with 36 strikeouts across 30 innings pitched in six appearances.

Obviously postseason experience will only be useful if the Braves make it there, which is seemingly likely especially with the addition of Morton for a team that went 35-25. Morton is a rare player who seemingly gets better with age — he has maintained a sub-4.00 ERA and pitched 140-plus innings in three of his previous four seasons. The 37-year-old veteran owns a career 4.08 ERA across 1,439.1 innings pitched, very respectable numbers over a 12-year span.

The Cole Hamels one-year deal experiment was a massive failure as he only made one start before left shoulder fatigue ended his season. However, it seems the Braves are betting on a healthier player this time around. The Braves look playoff ready already, and anything can happen, but I would be pretty content with my odds entering the season with Fried, Morton and Anderson headlining my starting rotation.  
Photo courtesy of Julio Aguilar/Getty Images