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Atlanta Braves: Charlies Morton is absolutely the right choice to bring in

By Nick Stevens

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 24: Charlie Morton #50 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks to throw a pitch during the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day at Tropicana Field on July 24, 2020 in St Petersburg, Florida. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 24: Charlie Morton #50 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks to throw a pitch during the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day at Tropicana Field on July 24, 2020 in St Petersburg, Florida. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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The Atlanta Braves are reportedly interested in signing Charlie Morton, a signing that makes a lot of sense.

How do the Atlanta Braves get over the hump of three-straight playoff appearances without a trip to the World Series? Wasting no time in addressing the roster’s biggest weakness is a pretty good first step in answering that question.

Per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Atlanta Braves are showing “strong interest” in former Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Charlie Morton, who began his pro career in Atlanta after the Braves used a third-round pick on Morton in the 2002 MLB draft.

After quickly securing free agent starter Drew Smyly on a one-year/$11 deal, it’s clear Atlanta is going to be aggressive in improving their starting rotation, a unit that was hit by disastrous injuries, veteran struggles, and rookie hiccups.

light. More Braves. Odds are Springer ends up in Atlanta

Max Fried picked up in 2020 where he left off in 2019, pitching like a dominant mainstay in Atlanta’s rotation for years to come, Mike Soroka should return to the top of the rotation fairly early on in 2021, and Smyly is coming off a 2020 season in which he logged just 26 innings, but struck out 38% of hitters he faced and posted a 2.01 FIP.

Adding Charlie Morton to this rotation gives Atlanta a very solid starting core, with some combination of Kyle Wright, Ian Anderson, and Bryse Wilson to round out the rotation. Barring any additional freak injuries, Atlanta’s biggest weakness suddenly looks like an area of strength.

Morton may be entering his age-37 season, but he proved last season that there’s still plenty left in the tank for one more good run.

Wanting to stay on the east coast and pitch for a winning ballclub, signing with the Atlanta Braves appears to be a match from Morton’s point of view. With a young rotation in place and a handful of promising young arms in the minor leagues, even just one year of Morton gives Atlanta a reliable arm and a difference-maker with plenty of big-game experience.

It’s a near-perfect match.

Morton went 2-2 with a 4.74 ERA in Tampa Bay last season, but posted a 3.45 FIP and his six earned runs allowed against Toronto in his first start of the season certainly inflated some of his final numbers in a shortened 2020 season.

The strikeout numbers may not be as high as his 2018 and 2019 All-Star campaigns, but Morton still struck out a tick under 10/9 IP while cutting his walk rate to below 6% and effectively keeping the ball inside the ballpark.

dark. Next. Marcell Ozuna has options this offseason

The Atlanta Braves could attempt to go after one of the bigger names on the market, or they could focus their efforts on bringing in Charlie Morton, a great fit for the organization, and bringing back a bat like Marcell Ozuna to set them up for a World Series run in 2021.

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