Free agent pitcher Charlie Morton has stated that he intends to keep his career going in 2025, it's just not known where yet. The 41-year-old pitched the last four seasons for the Braves, and while he was by no means dominant, he was serviceable and reliable. The veteran made at least 30 starts and pitched at least 163 innings each season for Atlanta during his four-year tenure. In 2024, while his ERA was down a bit, to 4.19 compared to a career ERA of 4.01, both his xFIP (3.99) and SIERA (4.06) were slightly better, so there's reason to believe he's still a capable hurler. The righty still averaged a strikeout per inning and even decreased his BB% by 2.3% over 2023. It is anticipated that he'll sign a short-term (one year) deal with a team that is in a position to win now.
Starting pitcher Charlie Morton got obliterated in Thursday's outing versus the Milwaukee Brewers. The veteran only last 2 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits, eight runs, one walk and striking out three. Morton allowed four homeruns in the contest, on his way to his seventh loss of the season. The veteran has had some big blowout performances like this on the season, but also has shined in others, making him frustrating to rely on. With his strikeouts also down this season, he has become more of a streamer down the stretch for managers. Despite a few rough starts of late, Morton will look to get back on track versus the San Francisco Giants as part of a two-start week that also features a favorable matchup against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton improved his record to 6-6 with Thursday's victory against the division rival Miami Marlins. The 40-year-old earned his ninth quality start of the season by tossing six innings, in which he allowed one run (zero earned), two walks and six strikeouts. It was a very big bounce back for Morton, who got hit hard for seven runs (five earned) in his previous outing versus the New York Mets. Morton has been solid this season with a 3.94 ERA, but he has also been hit hard in some matchups. As it stands, Morton is best suited as a streamer moving forward. His next start will come at home against a good Milwaukee Brewers lineup on Wednesday.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton (5-4) dominated his former team Friday night allowing no runs in 6 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts on three hits and no walks in a 6-1 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. After a tough May where the 40-year-old right-hander produced an ugly 5.04 ERA, he reversed course in June by putting up a 3.10 ERA. Although the stats are a little misleading as Morton went 2-0 with one run allowed in 18 1/3 innings, but allowed an ugly 10 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings pitched in two losses. Despite all of that he lowered his ERA on the season to 3.89. Look for Morton to continue the momentum from this start in his first July start against San Francisco Giants next week.
Charlie Morton Strikes Out Eight In Win On Saturday
Atlanta Braves right-hander Charlie Morton turned in a quality start in a 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. Morton tossed six innings of one-run ball while striking out eight and walking two to improve his record to 4-3 on the season. The 40-year-old hurler had it going on Saturday against his former team, picking up an impressive 22 swinging strikes in the start. Morton now has a 3.91 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 76 strikeouts over 72 2/3 innings of work in 2024. He will look to stay hot in his next scheduled start, which is set for Saturday against the New York Yankees on the road.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton put together a strong outing versus the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. The right-hander threw six scoreless innings while allowing one hit in the no-decision. Morton probably could've gone deeper in the game but his five walks and six strikeouts pushed up his pitch count. It's nice to see the 40-year-old getting back on track after getting smacked around during his last start. The hope is that Morton can continue being a viable option for the Braves rotation.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton tossed seven strong innings in Friday's victory over the division-rival New York Mets, giving up one run on three hits (one home run) and one walk with seven strikeouts. Besides the seven punchouts, Morton's highlight of the night came when he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second inning by striking out Mets third baseman Brett Baty to end the frame. The 40-year-old right-hander remains a dependable fantasy starter at this stage of his career, featuring a rock-solid 3.14 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 40:14 K:BB through 43 frames (seven starts) during the fourth season of his second stint in Atlanta this year. Morton is slated to take the hill in Wednesday's series finale at home against the Chicago Cubs. In four starts against the Cubs since 2021, Morton has a dicey 6.16 ERA and 20:11 K:BB over 19 innings.
Atlanta Braves right-hander Charlie Morton will be aiming for more success on Friday when he takes the mound for a road contest against the difficult Los Angeles Dodgers. The 40-year-old dominated the Cleveland Guardians his last time out, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and a walk against six strikeouts but took a tough-luck no-decision in an eventual 4-2 extra-inning loss. The veteran has had an up-and-down season that includes 5 2/3 shutout innings in his first start of the season before he allowed 10 earned runs over his next two outings and 11 1/3 innings of work. However, he has not allowed just two earned runs over 13 innings in his last two starts and owns a 3.60 ERA through five starts. He will take on a Dodgers team that ranks first in baseball with a .354 wOBA versus right-handed pitching.
Atlanta Braves right-hander Charlie Morton (finger) said that his finger is fine and that he's fully healthy heading into the 2024 season. The Braves were a bit uncertain about bringing back Morton for his age-40 season, but they still went ahead and picked up his $20 million option for 2024 this offseason. Morton had a career-worst 11.6 percent walk rate in his third year with Atlanta in 2023, but he still managed to strike out 183 batters and had a decent 3.64 ERA (3.87 FIP) and 1.43 WHIP in 163 1/3 total innings over his 30 starts. Morton might have just one season left in him, but he makes for a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm for the Braves and carries more fantasy appeal while being backed by one of the best offenses in the league. He's been reliable, making at least 30 starts in each season since 2018, excluding the shortened 2020 campaign.
The Atlanta Braves exercised right-hander Charlie Morton's $20 million option for the 2024 season on Monday. Morton will turn 40 years old next week, but he had a 3.64 ERA (3.87 FIP) and 1.43 WHIP with 83 walks and 183 strikeouts in 163 1/3 innings over 30 starts for Atlanta in 2023 and has a 3.77 ERA with 604 strikeouts in 521 innings over the last three seasons with the Braves, including two 14-win campaigns. Morton could be playing in his final big-league season in 2024, and there were some signs of regression, as expected, last year. He had a bloated 11.6 percent walk rate. However, he was able to keep the ball in the park for the most park and had a strong 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Injuries will be a concern, but Morton will continue to have fantasy appeal in fantasy leagues because of strikeout ability and the fact that he pitches for one of the best teams in baseball.
