The Braves announced Monday that they’ve signed right-hander Charlie Morton to a one-year contract worth $20MM. (The Braves are one of the few teams who formally disclose the terms of their player contracts themselves.) The Jet Sports client also has a $20MM club option for the 2023 season that does not have a buyout.
Morton had somewhat of a slow start in his return to the Braves organization, pitching to a 5.08 ERA through his first eight starts of the season. He’s been lights-out ever since, however, working to a combined 2.95 ERA with a terrific 29.9 percent strikeout rate and a strong 7.4 percent walk rate over his past 20 starts — a total of 119 innings pitched. Overall, Morton has a 3.47 ERA in 158 frames with the Braves thus far in 2021.
This is the second go-around in Atlanta for Morton, whom the Braves selected with their third-round pick nearly two decades ago in 2002. He made his big league debut as a Brave in 2008 but was traded to the Pirates in the June 2009 swap that brought outfielder Nate McLouth to Atlanta. Morton would settle in as a mid-rotation starter in Pittsburgh, but a velocity spike in a very brief four-game stint with the Phillies — he missed the rest of the year with a torn hamstring — set the stage for him to land in Houston. With the Astros, Morton maintained that velocity bump and leaned more heavily into his four-seamer and curveball, at the expense of his sinker.
Morton broke out as one of the game’s best starters with the Astros, parlaying a brilliant two-year stint there into a two-year, $30MM contract with the Rays. He’d finish third in American League Cy Young voting and play a major role in the Rays’ postseason bid that year before some arm trouble brought about a slow start in 2020. Morton righted the ship in the season’s final couple weeks, however, and looked to be back to his dominant ways for much of the Rays’ 2020 run to the World Series.
Morton was a coveted free agent this offseason but had a small selection of teams he was willing to consider. Playing with the Rays afforded him the opportunity to live in his Bradenton, Fla. home, and Morton was reportedly very intent on remaining in the southeast to be near his family. His one-year deal with the Braves underscored that preference, as does today’s decision to forgo the open market entirely in favor of another one-year pact in a setting where he’s obviously quite comfortable.
With this deal in place, the Braves have now extended a pair of veterans in advance of free agency. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud inked a two-year, $16MM contract a couple weeks back, giving the club some stability behind the dish (as well as a potential bridge to William Contreras and/or Shea Langeliers).
Having Morton and d’Arnaud locked up for 2022 gives the Braves a total of $77MM committed to six players next season, although the status of Marcell Ozuna and his $16MM salary remain to be determined. The Braves also have option buyouts to pay to Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, Josh Tomlin and the already-released Ender Inciarte.
The Braves opened the 2021 season with a payroll of $131MM, so there’s plenty of room for them to further add to that $77MM in guarantees this coming winter. Presumably, some of those funds are earmarked for what the team and its fanbase hope will be a long-term extension for franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman. That they’ve been able to secure new deals with d’Arnaud and Morton shows the Braves are more than comfortable having these discussions not only in-season but in the midst of a playoff race, so perhaps they’ll yet aim to strike up a new deal with Freeman before he ever formally reaches the market.
For now, the certainty with Morton means they’ll be able to count on the return of a veteran who has blossomed into one of the game’s most steadily productive arms late in his career. Morton can be penciled into the 2022 rotation alongside lefty Max Fried, right-hander Ian Anderson and, hopefully, oft-injured righty Mike Soroka. Still just 24 years old, Soroka broke out as one of the game’s most talented young starters in 2019 but has only pitched 13 2/3 innings since that time after tearing his Achilles tendon on two occasions. Soroka isn’t expected to be ready for the beginning of the 2022 campaign, however, so it stands to reason that the Braves could look for some additional rotation help this winter even with Morton now locked into a return.
Excellent. Well earned, not much risk for the Braves here. Bravo
Great move. Locks in their ace. Would love to see them add another short term high upside arm this off-season. Drew Smyley ain’t it…
Smyly can return only if he is willing to take very little money and fill Tomlin’s role. Anything more than $2 million in a mop-up role is not worth it.
I don’t know if they’ll have the spare money, but I’d be a fan of them taking a flyer on Verlander.
Best news I heard in awhile. Now extend Freddie and I’ll be ecstatic!
Great move! Morton is worth his weight in salt…..
Morton is listed at 215lbs, which equates to 3440 ounces. If we value that at $1.39 for every 26 ounces, Morton is worth approximately $183.91. The Braves massively overpaid under your scenario.
I see what you did there, though. I also like the signing.
Thanks for noticing but:
“Similarly, if a person uses the phrase “worth its weight in salt,” to describe an object, they are expressing that they think the item is worth the price they paid or that it otherwise holds immense value to them”.
“Holds immense value to them” is the key phrase here
I think he’s worth his weight in pepper which is nothing to sneeze at either, baby!!
He’s also worth his weight in sugar which makes this a real sweet deal!
Condiments aside, Very pleased to see him coming back next year. AA doesn’t waste any time.
Interesting. I have never heard the phrase, but I’ll have to store that one. I thought it was strictly a salt pun for the brand. Ha ha
Actually, if someone used the saying in a negative way “He’s NOT worth his weight in salt”, than you’re interpretation is correct, the cost of (Morton) salt. If you use it in a positive way, it takes on the opposite meaning. I only know this because I am as old as dirt, & have heard this expression all my life.
I think we’re conflating two separate sayings, “worth his weight in gold” and “worth his salt”. The former refers to the value of an amount of something, and the second just means he’s worth what he’s being paid.
I am not conflating 2 statements, my quote was from online – look it up. It’s like any statement you make, positive or negative have 2 different meanings.
Worth your salt
Not worth your salt
Curly, I wasn’t replying to your comment. I was referring to whoever said the phrase “worth his weight in salt”. The correct phrase is what you said, “worth his salt”.
I wish MLBTR had a way to show to whom people are replying. That would be really useful.
When it pains it roars
#Outlaw – I’m curious, did you walk to the pantry and pull out your box of Morton’s to check the price per ounce or do you have the salt futures market memorized? Help me work this out. Love the creative analysis
$20 million club option at 39 is certainly interesting
Lol they used all their money for next year!
Charlie Morton on extension: “I might have retired but felt like I wanted to play one or two more years because I love the game. It wasn’t about the money.”
Who are you to judge? He’s a late bloomer who continues to put up excellent results season after season. I hope he goes as long as he can.
lol morton is really the last guy you should imply is greedy. Dude could have gotten more money basically every time he has signed somewhere but based his decision on largely non monetary factors
Business must be booming at Truist park.
Business is booming. Right after Manfred moved the all star game Atlanta countered with no attendance restrictions. Rangers and then Braves were the first to do that. More attendance more dollars.
And more ventilators. ‘Merica!
How about Sweden?
Passed, it must suck to not be able to think for yourself.
Gotta think next season will be his final. He has really made the most of his career renaissance, its been an absolute treat to see.
But will he get the center square when he retires?
I remember a few years ago in Tampa he was talking about retiring. Honestly surprised he still wants to play. I guess 20 mil can be rather convincing.
$20 milli for Uncle Chuck when retirement was a possibility only last year
Nice deal. He probably left a bit of money on the table to return.
Now for Joge Soler or Adam Duval maybe both.
*Jorge* *Duvall*
I’m conflicted about Soler. A change of scenery has helped his bat but I question that as a long term solution to his problems in the batters box. Maybe Atlanta simply had the solution for his bat? Could be but maybe not. Either way, if the NL doesn’t change to the DH, I would rather let him go.
This statement especially the last sentence is just silly. He was hitting the ball quite well the last week before he got traded to Atlanta. There is no solution needed as because he isn’t a problem. I think your a fan of another team that could only hope to utilize his bat. Just want to say I’m happy that my favorite team will never be taking any advice from YOU!
Didnt his hitting pick up a few weeks before he was traded?
@Jacobsen and DWB- No, he didn’t improve and if you had looked at his batting logs you would have seen that. He had two good days on July 25th and 26th where he got 5 hits in 8 AB’s. Before that he went 4/25 and after that he went 1/10 until he was traded.
@kenny. All the Braves have to do is tender Duvall a contract. I believe they will do that this time around. They badly need his 30 home run 100 rbi potential next year.
My understsnding is it is a mutual option. Thus, even if there Braves are willing to exercise the option, Duvall could decide to become a FA instead. If that happened, however, the Braves would not be responsible for the buyout money.
Had to be done. Now lock up Freeman 5x 27AAV.
Well deserved. He is the most consistent Braves starter. This is a much better deal for Atlanta than potentially pursuing younger free agent starters who will want 5+ years and 100+ million dollar contracts.
It’s a good win now move and good for Braves fans.
I hope they re sign freeman and soler, sign a couple bargain relievers and call it an offseason. This team is so fun, just needs ronnie!
I think it’s great that Morton has been able to make the bulk of his career earnings after 35. Hope he stays good enough for the Braves to exercise his ’23 option.
Braves need to sign Duvall so that way they can stop trading for him. And sign freeman.
Any relation to Charlie Hough?
The big question for the Braves is Marcel. His charges were reduced to misdemeanors. Would convictions be enough to void his contract?
If he goes to jail (he won’t), the time he spends in jail would be voided. Outside of that, as long as he’s available to play the Braves are contractually obligated to pay him.
Now, he is most definitely going to receive a lengthy suspension at some point from the MLB, so they’ll be off the hook for all the games he will miss when he’s officially suspended for however long.
The best case realistic scenario, in my opinion, for the Braves is for Ozuna to be suspended the entirety of next year. Then they’ll have a tough decision on the final two years. No matter how you slice it, the Braves are either going to take a big financial or public relations hit.
Also factoring in the Hector Olivera part of this. When he had his stuff, the Braves were adamant he was never going to play for them again. That’s a very strong stance to take, but also very easy considering how awful a player was. Needless to say, Ozuna is a star, so it will be interesting to see if the Braves take the same hard stance this time around.
It is not merely a PR issue. It is more of a moral compass issue for the organization. According to Curly, on another thread he will never play for the Braves again.
They will have to eat his 16 million for at least two years.
And they may have cause to void his contract:
When teams have tried to void contracts in the past, they have relied on paragraph 7(b)1 of the uniform player’s contract, which states that a contract can be voided if a player “shall fail, refuse, or neglect to conform his personal conduct to the standards of good citizenship and good sportsmanship or keep himself in first-class physical condition.”
Paragraph 3 (a), furthermore, states that “The player agrees to perform his services hereunder diligently and faithfully, to keep himself in first-class physical condition and to obey the club’s training rules, and pledges himself to the American public and to the club to conform to high standards of personal conduct, fair play and good sportsmanship.”
Not sure this has been litigated but the statement that if he is physically able to perform the team is contractually obligated to pay him is no necessarily accurate (assuming Ozuna signed a standard MLB contract)”
In the past when players’ contracts have been voided under these clauses, they’ve generally won on appeal. Times are different, though, and DV might be a deal-breaker. I hope so. If not, the Braves just need to cut him after his suspension is up and move on.
Bauer will never ever pitch for the Dodgers again. Even though his situation is much different.
I hope they are able to void the deal, too, but I’m not confident they can. Any attempt will surely be fought, and it’s not an easy fight for the franchise to win. I’d cut him loose though, even if they have to eat the money.
Appalachian I am not sure how many times that has been litigated. Not sure whether it is subject to arbitration either. If that portion of the contract ( and I don’t know if standard provisions are incorporated secondary to the collective bargaining agreement), but if it has any meaning whatsoever, it should apply here. Time for teams like the Braves and Dodgers to take a stance on DV. Otherwise just get rid of those provisions in the contract.
As for the “moral compass” issue, keep in mind the Braves have a statue outside of their stadium of their former manager that was arrested on similar charges early to midway through his career.
His wife said there was no physical assault. They just had an argument.
Agree with Brandons-3, Ozuna will be suspended for 1 year and then the Braves will trade him for penauts or release him. Ozuna did something horrible, even if his situation was bad it doesn’t justify his actions, but as long as he complies with whatever punishment he’s given and shows remorse, he deserves another chance… with another team.
With Acuna returning, I wonder which of the current OF will be retained (instead of bought out). Duvall or Pederson would be valuable in LF if we assume Acuna returns and Pache/Waters can stick in the majors
Depends if Duvall thinks he is still a full-time starter and not a platoon. He wouldn’t sign as a platoon, yet here is…a platoon in the same OF as Joc, who also wouldn’t sign with ATL as a platoon OF despite horrid splits.
I would like to see Pache as well but right now he is looking more like a really good 4th OF option. When your glove is as good as his, especially at one of those three premium positions like CF, that will get you a long way but you just can’t be that bad with the bat so they sent him down to improve.
His current batting line in the minors is .267/.341/.426 so if that’s improvement enough, I don’t know. It’s obvious that Pache will get another shot at the majors. At the very least Spring Training in 2022 but I don’t really know how optimistic I ought to be.
I’d like to see them keep Pederson and Duvall. I know Soler has been on fire, but he plays RAJ’s position, so that’s probably out unless they play RAJ in CF.
I’d rather see them go into the year with the luxury of letting Waters and Pache earn jobs, and risk having too many OFs; versus counting on them, and risk too few if they’re not yet ready.
Anyone remember those clowns saying the Devil Rays let him walk for a reason? As though the Devil Rays decision not to bring him back was indication enough that Morton had declined to far. If these people had looked at his peripherals they would have seen something different but that didn’t matter. The Devil Rays didn’t retain him so that’s all the information they needed.
Glad to see Morton in still interested in playing a year or two longer. Large option for 22 but it makes a lot of since. If Morton pitches next season the way he has this season it will be worth it for the Braves to use the option. On the other hand, if Morton decides he wants to retire like it sounded like he would after this season, nobody gets hurt.
It’s also nice to see the Braves won’t even have to buy Morton out if the wheels fall off the buss in 2022. While it’s obvious that Morton still has it, it can’t last forever and he is presently in his late 30’s. Glad to see the Braves have some protection against the regression hammer.
Devil rays? That team no longer exists.
I bet you’re fun at partys buzz killington
Yeah no matter what goes on with Ozuna, pick up the option on Duval. Low BA, but drives in runs!
Great deal for both the team and player. He’s been as good as advertised and is great to have around for the young pitchers as well.
That sum is well-worth it, but also provided a strong incentive not to retire. We’ve known for a few years now that it’s been sort of southeastern teams or bust Morton, who has a desire to be close to his family as this stage in his career. No man is turning down a $20 million dollar sum, however. Glad to have him back.
Go watch the top 10 underrated players video by Robhie Hyde if you haven’t already. He mentions Morton, and rightfully so. He’s been one of the better starters in baseball this season.
I think teams may find that players are probably much more willing to sign ahead of what looks to be nightmarish CBA negotiations. I wonder if we’ll see more players re-up for next season rather than chance the unknown market
I approve of the signing. Now make sure to bring back Pederson and acquire Marte or Buxton for CF. Then overhaul the bullpen.
Pache will get another chance in CF
Great move by the Braves. Now all they need to do is trade for Shane Bieber.
Not happening. This requires the Braves to have the desire to win a WS. The Braves don’t care for it.
Great move. Morton found another gear late in his career. He could help any team win.
Hoping for a Braves / Giants NL championship series.
At this point, we should all be hoping for the 2022 season just to start on time. Both sides are miles apart on a new CBA and there is still a good chance of a lockout or player strike occurring. It would be really dumb for either side to do so, but MLBPA & MLB negotiations seems to bring the dumb out on both sides of the table. Fingers crossed that Morton (and all the other players) have the opportunity to earn their full salaries next season.
My fear is that Clark is not smart enough to negotiate with his Ivy League counterparts. Then, just to show how tough he is, he will simply turn down any decent proposal, because he won’t know if it is a good proposal. A lot of this should come down to how much the MLB wants to pay for expanded playoffs.
I’m not sure Clark will see it like that.
Much better deal than the Braves paid Cole Hammells last year! 18 million to pitch 3.1 innings all year with an ERA over 8!
$20M. That’s a lot. Good for him. Didn’t think $20M would be tossed at him due to age. Was thinking $15M. I’ll just cross off GM from job possibilities.
Bumping an article with no new updates again I see
Pretty sure the website does it automatically at eastern midnight. Article with highest comment total gets shot back up
It happens every night. Do you really think someone sits there and manually resets one? I don’t
That’s interesting, I thought it was if they fixed a small typo or added a sentence it bumped but that makes sense
Pirates fans couldn’t wait to run this guy out of town while calling Huntingdon a bum for getting him.
Just like they ran off Bruce Arians before he won a couple coach of the year awards and a Super Bowl.
Just like they ran off our Hall of Fame GM who won 2 Cups for us and ended up with a potted plant instead.
It’s a pattern.
Next up… Freddie?
Espino today with the NATS in town, Gotta light this dude up.
It’s always a risk signing a pitcher in his late 30’s, but Charlie’s been so good and is such a stabilizer in the rotation that it’s worth a one-year deal. He’s the stopper.
Charlie has gotten better over time but he still has that inning where he changes nick names. “ground chuck” turns into “Morton hears a boo” and his whole night will hinge around his damage control.
Excellent move by the Braves.
Good for them. Good for Morton.
As for the “moral compass” issue of Ozuna, keep in mind the Braves have a statue outside of their stadium of their former manager that was arrested on similar charges early to midway through his career.
His wife said there was no physical assault. They just had an argument.
Nice try Brave, but even Ozuna admits he struck her. And his “wife” was all bruised up. If it were just an argument all charges would have been dropped. It appears that the two have had a volatile relationship. He will get a lengthy suspension. That wouldn’t happen without a physical altercation. He is still looking at an aggravated misdemeanor.
I’m not talking about Ozuna.
I think he was replying to my earlier comment about a statue out in front of the stadium of an ex manager that had been arrested for striking his wife. The wife told the police she had been punched in the face, had her hair and forehead pulled by said manager. The police arrived and decided that the severe redness on her face was due to her being punched in the face. They arrested the manager. A short time later she recanted the story. Said the severe redness in her face was due to crying. The manager did admit to pulling her hair and grabbing her around the forehead. However, without further cooperation from the wife the police dropped the charges, despite their sincere belief that he had punched her in the face. (GOOGLE it, it is all there).
Now, I’m not here to slam said former manager. However, no matter what the Braves do with Ozuna, it will be a lose-lose situation. If they allow him to play again, it will be a p.r nightmare. If they don’t allow him to play, they will owe him over 50m not to play and there will still be a p.r. nightmare from those who will question why a white manager was treated differently from a black Latino player of African descent.
Don’t kill the messenger, because everything I wrote above, including the negative consequences of whatever action the Braves take, is an absolute reality.
Braveham, pulling hair and placing your hands around her neck is a physical assault. And I don’t expect much from a team calling themselves the Braves with the fans doing a tomahawk chop. Just sayin.
The “pr nightmare” idea about white vs afro-latino is bogus. Race has nothing to do with anything, except to people who want to play the race card.
I expect Ozuna will be suspended for 2022, and the Braves will try to void the rest of his contract. If they can’t void it, they will cut him and eat the remaining $37M on his contract.
@Dodger1958: You do you.
Bhambrave. I was just correcting inaccurate information that you posted.
What was inaccurate in what I posted?
tht.fangraphs.com/mlb-turned-a-blind-eye-to-bobby-…
Baseball had no DV policy back then and went off of what the police and the courts did. Since he wasn’t prosecuted, baseball didn’t do anything. I’m not defending Cox, just commenting on what policies were in place at the time.
Just my point. No policy doesn’t mean you erect a statute of the man or continue to use a name which many feel s derogatory. It has to do with the moral compass. No question but that Cox engaged in DV whether prosecuted or not. None. Irrelevant that no DV policy was in place. He may be a hall of farmer but his also an abuser.
No Question? That’s not entirely accurate. Indications are strong, but not unquestionable. His wife is still married to him, so I guess she’s ok with how things turned out.
The Braves are still the Braves with the blessing of the Cherokee tribes in Georgia. You need to educate yourself on that topic a little more.
No question. He pulled her hair and he placed his hands around her neck during an argument. He admitted it. You need to educate yourself on the meaning of DV.
I don’t recall him saying he put his hands around her neck. As I remember, he said he tried to hold her away from him. He didn’t grab her neck. I could be wrong. Like I said, I’m not defending him.
“Race has nothing to do with anything, except to those want to play the race card.” This is great news!!! No new racism is occurring, I will alert the world!
Despite your declaration, it’s still gonna be a problem for the Braves. I’m not a fan of the woke mob, either, but they ain’t going away. And I am simply pointing out, they may have a legit beef. And as to the Braves losing 37 million, that might be conservative. Players Union will fight and he will only get a half year suspension. They are less concerned about the woke mob, as it appears the players union forgets as to who actually pays their salaries—the fans. But, they dont care about PR.
I was referring specifically to how the Braves handle the Ozuna thing, not with whether racism still exists in 2021. I’m not worried about the woke mob re: Ozuna. Bobby’s issue was 25 years ago. That’s a long time. We’re more aware and responsive to things now than we were back then.
I don’t see the union trying too hard to defend Ozuna. They don’t like DV any more than anyone else, and if they defend him, they’ll look like the bad guys.
If we learned anything in the past 4 years, 25 years ago is nothing when the woke mob digs for dirt (Civil War statutes being destroyed, etc.) But, neither one of us think that is necessarily fair or correct. But, my final thought, keep my comments in mind when the Braves make a decision. They will take heat regardless,I guarantee it.
2021 is a different place than 1995. (Google Monica Lewinski to see what powerful men could get away with back then.) Cox wouldn’t have kept his job in today’s environment.
A President was impeached and disgraced over a ridiculously stupid course of actions, but with a consenting adult. Ruined his reputation.
He got reelected, so apparently it didn’t do too much damage. Different times.
bham, he was elected in 1992 and re-elected in 1996. He was impeached in 1998.
That’s right. Their affair was in 1995, but he wasn’t impeached until ’98. It still didn’t hurt his reputation much. Democrats still loved him.
If we learned anything in the past 4 years, 25 years ago is nothing when the woke mob digs for dirt (Civil War statutes being destroyed, etc.) But, neither one of us think that is necessarily fair or correct. But, my final thought, keep my comments in mind when the Braves make a decision. They will take heat regardless,I guarantee it.
I’ll be surprised if the Bobby Cox story gains legs. If Bauer is allowed to play but Ozuna isn’t, then that would be a problem. Bobby’s history is irrelevant.
If Bauer is allowed to play it won’t be with the Dodgers. But the circumstances between the two are different. I am not defending Bauer but what he did was a lot different than what Ozuna did. I am still not clear why Bauer battered this woman. It is clear that Ozuna threatened to kill his wife, and at a minimum, shoved her to the ground in anger during a heated argument.
I don’t see much difference, based on the Bauer accuser’s allegations. Assault is assault. Ozuna is only charged with misdemeanors, so nothing is clear.
As a black and Latin person, I am so sick of the “I’m Offended” and the It’s wrong if I have a different opinion than what’s popular mindset. It’s ok to not agree and even get angry it’s natural. But when you turn violent and destroy government buildings and property, destroy businesses that people work their tail off to own or storm the Capitol building because your pissed about a election. Point blank your WRONG. What happened to just respecting others period. If you don’t like this country then Leave! Trust me, I spent 21 years in the Marine Corps been all over the world and seen things you never want to see. Trust me to all those people that gripe and moan go to a 3rd World country I guarantee you will wish you were back in the U.S. Service Members give you the privilege to complain or “Cancel” what you don’t like. So on behalf of fellow Veterans and those still donning the cloth. YOU ARE WELCOME.
Enough with the Blah, Blah politics crap. Go Braves!!!