Braves Still Considered a Top Candidate to Re-Sign Charlie Morton

Charlie Morton will likely make some off-the-field considerations when choosing where he pitches next season, but that would still keep the Braves in the running

Charlie Morton staying in Atlanta is still a leading scenario / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The future of Charlie Morton continues to gain a clearer picture. The Athletic’s David O’Brien presented some potential teams, including the Atlanta Braves, that would be the leading teams to sign him for 2025. 

O’Brien based this on previous discussions and being close to his family in Bradenton, Fla. (about an hour south of Tampa).   

Based on this, he narrowed the teams down to the Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles. So, there are a couple potential reunions at play along with the potential of what likely would be one last new uniform.

The Pirates are the team that Morton spent the most time with in his career - seven seasons from 2009 to 2015. In 142 games, Morton had a 4.39 ERA, an 83 ERA+ and 563 strikeouts in 801 innings pitched.

The Pirates hold Spring Training where Morton’s family lives in Bradenton. 

After breaking out with the Houston Astros, he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays ahead of the 2019 season. That first season was the best of his career - a 3.05 ERA, 194 1/3 innings pitched, 204 strikeouts, 1.08 WHIP. He finished third in Cy Young voting and made his second and most recent All-Star Game. Morton also helped lead the Rays to a World Series appearance in 2020. 

The Rays have Spring Training in Port Charlotte - about 90 minutes south of Bradenton. 

After the Rays declined his club options after 2020, he signed with the Braves, where he has been up to this point. Since rejoining the Braves - where he pitched his rookie year in 2008 - Morton had a 3.87 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, a 110 ERA + and 771 strikeouts in 686 1/3 innings. 

Baltimore is the option he’s never played for. If the Orioles are going after a former Brave, the odds are that it’s Max Fried instead of Morton. But the proximity of where the Orioles spring train, Sarasota, makes them a possibility. It’s about half an hour, give or take, from Bradenton.