[David O’Brien] Charlie Morton hoped to finish career with Braves, but there haven’t been any recent talks with team and the 41-year-old free agent could pitch elsewhere in 2025
December 11, 2024
[David O’Brien] Charlie Morton hoped to finish career with Braves, but there haven’t been any recent talks with team and the 41-year-old free agent could pitch elsewhere in 2025
29 comments
I’m just straight up not having a good time today.
Either Alex is cooking, or they’re just playing the long game.
I give up at this point
I mean, he could just retire now? He seemed like he was leaning that way at the end of the season anyway.
Our 3-man starting rotation gonna be crazy 🔥🔥. Sale, reylo, and schwelly 350 innings each 🔥🔥
Grant Holmes had a 3.30 xFIP/SIERA, a 21.8% K-BB%, and a 100 Stuff+ as a starter last year and Morton’s peripherals really declined the last two years. As realistically a 6th starter after Strider is back, Holmes just makes more sense for quality innings, will be cheaper, and won’t have the inconsistency start to start that really began to plague Charlie last year simply due to age.
I love him, but I just don’t think he’s the best option for that role anymore and I worry how effective he’d be next year. I wouldn’t expect anything 2023 Adam Wainwright bad, but the fastball especially took a hit last year and the walks got more out of hand.
This was expected. Charlie has been great for our young pitchers. Father Time is undefeated.
Charlie is a ticking time bomb and I don’t want us to be holding him when he goes. Money is safer spent elsewhere unless it’s like $12-15m. We have a lot of money to spend and actually some decent prospect capital. Alex is cooking.
I don’t mind bringing back Morton, but not at the same price tag. I’m bummed we missed out on Nathan Eovald, but maybe the Braves could join the Sasaki sweepstakes.
He’s a great inning eater with a 3-4 era, but at 41-42 years old, he has to take a big pay cut, $20 million is ridiculous. He’s given us so much but needs to understand his age, his role, and how $20 million saves us can massively help this team. $8 million with incentives to make a lot more, fine, but 30 games, 8wins and 10 losses, and a 4.19 era does not equal $20 million. Prove me wrong Charlie, cy young year then retire.
this makes sense.
Morton is an invaluable vet presence and was underrated for the value he provided in 2022-2023. But his peripherals declined to basically 2015 level (that’s back when he was a kinda crappy groundball pitcher with the Pirates and nobody had taught him to Just Strike Guys Out yet). In 2024, he was a 1-fWAR pitcher over a full season worth of starts. Basically, he was a Kyle Gibson/Lance Lynn tier guy. No reason to think that’ll get better in 2025.
If you strike out on the trade market (Cease? Valdez? Castillo? uhhhhh Mitch Keller?) and none of the other free agents (Pivetta?) are enticing to you at their price points, and Morton’s still around at that point, then there’s no harm in giving him like $10M. I don’t think he’ll get a ton of interest, especially if he cares about playing close to home (which would limit him to Atlanta and the Florida teams.)
What is AA cooking? And with what exotic and confusing ingredients?
If he’s willing to sign a deal for around half the money he earned last year, sure. But for $20 million? nope.
I know they are saying the opposite, but it feels like the budget is limited.
Uncle Charlie not willing to come back on a big discount.
i was personally really loving the idea of not paying max fried $27.5 AAV for them to give Charlie morton $25M
Or he can do everyone a favor and just retire?
I don’t see how so many of y’all have lost faith in AA. Dude has built a championship core that well underperformed last year but was also the historically best offense in ‘22.
We’re not gonna spend dumb FA market rates and never will with the current TV contract.
If you’re looking to follow a team that spends 35m for 8 years on a risky arm, Braves ain’t it
Coded language for “if we’re going to pay $20MM we’d like to fine another Chris Sale”.
AA sending out more mixed signals than my wife. That’s what makes him a good GM. Are they going over or under the tax? Nobody knows. They let lil D go, so you think they don’t have the money. But then they won’t go after Charlie on the cheap?
All he has to do is retire to solve the, uh, dilemma.
Not gonna lie I’m glad. Love the guy but it’s time to move on.
Anxious to see what AA is going to do.
This isn’t surprising. I think it’s time to mix things up a bit, too. Absolutely love Charlie and what he’s done for the Braves, but it’s clear AA is trying to shake things up. Last year, injuries aside, seemed stale, tired, not gelling. But someone needs to insert that stick figure meme of the person with the stick poking AA “do something”
Love him but don’t see him being very productive on our roster next year at 41 considering his numbers. Happy retirement Charlie
AA has lost his metaphorical fastball since he let FF go to the Dodgers.
Well at least there’s some positive news this off-season.
“In AA we trust” has worn fucking thin. About 4-5 teams have passed us by.
![[David O'Brien] Charlie Morton hoped to finish career with Braves, but there haven't been any recent talks with team and the 41-year-old free agent could pitch elsewhere in 2025](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/6ONHhU1JFC26X3DsZ4qsDPVkQsybZI4MLc8W5KsC1NY.jpg)
29 comments
I’m just straight up not having a good time today.
Either Alex is cooking, or they’re just playing the long game.
I give up at this point
I mean, he could just retire now? He seemed like he was leaning that way at the end of the season anyway.
Our 3-man starting rotation gonna be crazy 🔥🔥. Sale, reylo, and schwelly 350 innings each 🔥🔥
Grant Holmes had a 3.30 xFIP/SIERA, a 21.8% K-BB%, and a 100 Stuff+ as a starter last year and Morton’s peripherals really declined the last two years. As realistically a 6th starter after Strider is back, Holmes just makes more sense for quality innings, will be cheaper, and won’t have the inconsistency start to start that really began to plague Charlie last year simply due to age.
I love him, but I just don’t think he’s the best option for that role anymore and I worry how effective he’d be next year. I wouldn’t expect anything 2023 Adam Wainwright bad, but the fastball especially took a hit last year and the walks got more out of hand.
This was expected. Charlie has been great for our young pitchers. Father Time is undefeated.
Charlie is a ticking time bomb and I don’t want us to be holding him when he goes. Money is safer spent elsewhere unless it’s like $12-15m. We have a lot of money to spend and actually some decent prospect capital. Alex is cooking.
I don’t mind bringing back Morton, but not at the same price tag. I’m bummed we missed out on Nathan Eovald, but maybe the Braves could join the Sasaki sweepstakes.
He’s a great inning eater with a 3-4 era, but at 41-42 years old, he has to take a big pay cut, $20 million is ridiculous. He’s given us so much but needs to understand his age, his role, and how $20 million saves us can massively help this team. $8 million with incentives to make a lot more, fine, but 30 games, 8wins and 10 losses, and a 4.19 era does not equal $20 million. Prove me wrong Charlie, cy young year then retire.
this makes sense.
Morton is an invaluable vet presence and was underrated for the value he provided in 2022-2023. But his peripherals declined to basically 2015 level (that’s back when he was a kinda crappy groundball pitcher with the Pirates and nobody had taught him to Just Strike Guys Out yet). In 2024, he was a 1-fWAR pitcher over a full season worth of starts. Basically, he was a Kyle Gibson/Lance Lynn tier guy. No reason to think that’ll get better in 2025.
If you strike out on the trade market (Cease? Valdez? Castillo? uhhhhh Mitch Keller?) and none of the other free agents (Pivetta?) are enticing to you at their price points, and Morton’s still around at that point, then there’s no harm in giving him like $10M. I don’t think he’ll get a ton of interest, especially if he cares about playing close to home (which would limit him to Atlanta and the Florida teams.)
What is AA cooking? And with what exotic and confusing ingredients?
If he’s willing to sign a deal for around half the money he earned last year, sure. But for $20 million? nope.
I know they are saying the opposite, but it feels like the budget is limited.
Uncle Charlie not willing to come back on a big discount.
i was personally really loving the idea of not paying max fried $27.5 AAV for them to give Charlie morton $25M
Or he can do everyone a favor and just retire?
I don’t see how so many of y’all have lost faith in AA. Dude has built a championship core that well underperformed last year but was also the historically best offense in ‘22.
We’re not gonna spend dumb FA market rates and never will with the current TV contract.
If you’re looking to follow a team that spends 35m for 8 years on a risky arm, Braves ain’t it
Coded language for “if we’re going to pay $20MM we’d like to fine another Chris Sale”.
AA sending out more mixed signals than my wife. That’s what makes him a good GM. Are they going over or under the tax? Nobody knows. They let lil D go, so you think they don’t have the money. But then they won’t go after Charlie on the cheap?
All he has to do is retire to solve the, uh, dilemma.
Not gonna lie I’m glad. Love the guy but it’s time to move on.
Anxious to see what AA is going to do.
This isn’t surprising. I think it’s time to mix things up a bit, too. Absolutely love Charlie and what he’s done for the Braves, but it’s clear AA is trying to shake things up. Last year, injuries aside, seemed stale, tired, not gelling. But someone needs to insert that stick figure meme of the person with the stick poking AA “do something”
Love him but don’t see him being very productive on our roster next year at 41 considering his numbers. Happy retirement Charlie
AA has lost his metaphorical fastball since he let FF go to the Dodgers.
Well at least there’s some positive news this off-season.
“In AA we trust” has worn fucking thin. About 4-5 teams have passed us by.
Roki Sasaki it is!