Charlie Morton strikes out six batters in 5 2/3 innings as the Rays advance to the World Series. Chemistry may not be the metric du jour for statisticians, but it was a consideration for Morton. Aug. 31: The Rays are planning to activate Charlie Morton from the injured list to start Wednesday’s game against the Yankees, manager Kevin Cash announced to reporters (including Juan Toribio of MLB.com). The already-established clubhouse culture in Atlanta also made the Braves an intriguing destination. Atlanta Braves Charlie Morton Newsstand Tampa Bay Rays Transactions, By Connor Byrne | November 23, 2020 at 6:00pm CDT. Morton then moved on to the Pirates and Phillies from 2009-16, but he didn’t turn into a high-end starter until ’17 as a member of the Astros. Morton’s option was valued at $15MM, while Zunino stood to make $4.5MM if his option were exercised. Atlanta has made a pair of rotation additions, signing southpaw Drew Smyly to a one-year, $11MM deal and bringing in Charlie Morton for one year … “I would try to explain it to people, but I think it would take too long,” Morton … Charlie Morton looks to impress in his Braves debut. Morton would be entering his age-38 season and might not even wish to keep playing; Smyly’s a year removed from a 6.24 ERA season. The addition of Morton and Smyly likely pushes Kyle Wright out of the Atlanta rotation, although he has minor league options remaining and could head to Triple-A Gwinnett as a depth piece in the event of injury. Per O’Brien, Morton said, “Most good teams, they can outplay their talent level just by being close and having good attitudes and having fun. He made his first playoff outing as a rookie and has since contributed 43 frames of 2.93 ERA pitching with 9.6 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in the postseason, including closing out the Yankees in the Astros’ 2017 ALCS victory in Game 7. Atlanta could see its latest triumph in that group, slugger Marcell Ozuna, leave via free agency this winter. Wright is the likeliest option to stand in for him early in the year. Sorry, Charlie. However, both pitchers pulled in a bit more money than anticipated during what is widely expected to be a frigid offseason in the wake of teams suffering massive revenue losses. The Braves have easily been the offseason’s most active team in the early going. Since then, Morton has been a terrific regular-season pitcher and a lights-out playoff performer. The Phillies have acquired starting pitcher Charlie Morton via trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It looks like they’re really loose, fun-loving, but they’re also really talented. The Braves addressed their rotation when they signed left-hander Drew Smyly to a one-year, $11MM contract last week. Charlie Morton throwing a pitch in 2020 from the mound in a stadium where he’ll be throwing most of his pitches in 2021. The club could also look to move the final guaranteed year of center fielder Ender Inciarte’s contract in the coming months. McCullers totaled seven innings with four runs (only one earned) on four hits and no walks in that game, and he put up 11 strikeouts. Morton, 37, has burnished his reputation as a big-game pitcher in recent years, finishing Game 7 of the 2017 World Series with Houston and winning Game 7 of the American League Championship Series this season for the Tampa Bay Rays. During his last trip through free agency, Morton prioritized geographic fit when signing with Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay Rays' Charlie Morton bound to be a trade target. Even then, Atlanta's pitching could stack up with the best in the National League East, including the Washington Nationals, and gives the Miami Marlins, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies even more to handle as they try to dethrone the Braves, who have won three consecutive division titles. Morton brings 1.5 more projected WAR than the Braves’ in-house alternative, per Steamer. The veteran makes his home in Florida, a key point in his decision to sign with the Rays as a free agent after the 2018 season. As for the Braves’ payroll, the addition of Morton gives the team $93.7MM guaranteed to 10 players. But the same would’ve been true of Kevin Gausman a year ago, and he sufficiently rehabilitated his value during his platform year to earn a qualifying offer from the Giants this offseason. They’re particularly interested in retaining Morton, it seems, with Neander noting the parties will look for a “creative” way to keep him in the fold (Topkin link). The down time on the IL after his first two starts clearly did him some good, however, as the veteran righty returned with improved velocity and a 3.72 ERA in seven starts before going on to post a 2.70 ERA through 20 postseason innings. Geography may have worked against the Twins, though, as Morton has said in the past he prefers to pitch on the East Coast. As has been general manager Alex Anthopoulos’ modus operandi since assuming his post in Atlanta, the Braves have acted quickly to address a clear need — and done so with the addition of short-term contracts for veterans. The end’s not here for Charlie Morton, but it is drawing near, and that’s where we’ll start. Tampa Bay is leaving the door open to bringing either player back, Neander adds (via Toribio). It isn’t that the 37-year-old Morton clinches anything for the Braves. Phillies right-hander Charlie Morton needs hamstring surgery and will miss the rest of the season. The Rays, hoping to stave off a collapse, will turn to righty Charlie Morton, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Morton debuted for the Braves in 2008 and he was traded to the Pirates the following summer in a deal that brought Nate McLouth to Atlanta. The Astros are one win away from pulling off one of the greatest postseason comebacks in Major League Baseball history. New, 264 comments. The Rays are not going to exercise their club options on right-hander Charlie Morton or catcher Mike Zunino, vice president of baseball operations Erik Neander told reporters (including Juan Toribio of MLB.com and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). The contract will pay Morton, a client of Jet Sports Management, a guaranteed $15MM for the 2021 season. Morton has said in the past that he would like to stay on the East Coast, which could benefit the Braves if they do earnestly pursue him in free agency. Even after missing out on Morton, the Twins still have a mostly set rotation with 2020 Cy Young contender Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael Pineda and Randy Dobnak among those in the fold. Whitehead, … In Charlie Morton, the Braves are adding one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball to an already strong, young rotation. By Anthony Franco | November 9, 2020 at 6:49pm CDT. Morton immediately becomes one of the best pitchers on the free agent market, but it remains to be seen how much interest he’ll have in exploring deals with other teams. 474 days ago Buster Olney . (1:21). That the deals were surprising, however, was not surprising. From everything that I know and what I’ve seen, the Braves have both. Not only is Wright displaced from the rotation, but each of Sean Newcomb, Bryse Wilson, Touki Toussaint, Huascar Ynoa, Tucker Davidson, Patrick Weigel and Jasseel De La Cruz is now without a clear path to big league innings — at least in the rotation. 0:00. He took a bit of a step back over nine regular-season starts this season but he still looks like a strong mid-rotation starter at the very least. Share. More evidence of rough winter to come. MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Thursday the Tampa Bay Rays will not make starting pitcher Charlie Morton available ahead of the MLB trade deadline on July 31. Otherwise, though, it doesn’t appear they’ll shop at the top of the market for pitching help, as Hayes writes it’s “unlikely” the Twins will go after the No. Find out all of the player trades, signings and free agency information at FOX Sports. The Braves suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Phillies on Opening Day Thursday, falling in extras by a score of 3-2. The front office decided to roll the dice on a new pair of veteran hurlers after coming up one game shy of a pennant in 2020. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the Rays were the other finalist in Morton’s market. Blake Snell Charlie Morton Chicago Cubs Jake Odorizzi Minnesota Twins Tampa Bay Rays Trevor Bauer Yu Darvish, By Steve Adams | November 24, 2020 at 8:50am CDT. He posted a 4.39 ERA over seven injury-riddled seasons (142 starts) with Pittsburgh, then he made just four starts in '16 with the Phillies because of a hamstring tear. Earlier this month, Morton said he’d seriously discuss the possibility of retirement with his family if the Rays declined his option. Neal Huntington on the Charlie Morton trade, the Juan Nicasio signing, and the Pirates' rotation and infield plans. Morton put up ace-caliber numbers from 2017-19 and rounded back into form down the stretch after a difficult start this past season. We’ve not seen Anthopoulos spend at the levels it’d take to sign Ozuna since he took over the GM post in Atlanta, though it’s at least possible he’ll break that trend for Ozuna. After dropping the first three games of the American League Championship Series against the Rays, they have won three in a row to force a Game 7 on Saturday. He brings a veteran presence and playoff experience to a young Rays clubhouse There are plenty of reasons the Braves’ front office decided to jump the market on these specific pitchers. (poll links for app users), Atlanta Braves Charlie Morton Drew Smyly MLBTR Polls, By Connor Byrne | November 25, 2020 at 5:19pm CDT. He figured to be a prime piece of trade bait at the deadline. But that may not be it for Atlanta, which has “strong interest” in free-agent right-hander Charlie Morton, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Atlanta's strategy of targeting high-dollar free agents on one-year deals, which has been largely successful under president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, has been repeated with Morton and Smyly, who signed for $11 million. Morton didn’t match his Cy Young finalist 2019 performance this past season, pitching to a 4.74 ERA over nine regular season starts. Right-hander Charlie Morton signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, further bolstering the rotation of a team that … They’ve had plenty of success with short-term additions of Josh Donaldson and Marcell Ozuna, but last winter’s Cole Hamels signing didn’t pan out as the left-hander’s year was derailed by injury. The deal will pay Morton $30 million and contains an option for a third year, according to the Tampa Bay Times, making him the highest-paid player on Tampa Bay’s payroll. Signing in Atlanta would be a full-circle move for Morton, who was a third-round pick of the team in 2002 and someone who made his major league debut with the club in 2008. Twitter. The Braves keep their internal conversations about players internal, according to the Athletic’s David O’Brien, who writes, “Atlanta is as leak-free as any organization in sports regarding rumors of potential trades and free-agent signings, and if the player and his agent are equally private, which is how the Braves like it and something that agents are aware of, there could and often are discussions and deals completed before anything is leaked.”. ATLANTA -- While many of his former Braves teammates already ended their respective playing careers, Charlie Morton has returned to Atlanta looking to extend a late-career surge that he admits is hard to explain. Unsurprisingly, the 36-year-old (37 next week) is drawing strong interest early on, reports Robert Murray of Fansided. He has also previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Rays. 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