Atlanta Braves: 3 free agents to sign and 1 to avoid

Why not bring back a familiar face to round out the rotation?

The biggest issue that plagued the Braves all season long was starting pitching. It didn’t help that ace Mike Soroka ruptured his Achilles in his third start of the year. While Max Fried was brilliant all year, Atlanta could not trust its rotation until Ian Anderson caught fire in the postseason. Though all three could be stars for Atlanta in the 2020s, they need a veteran presence to help them.

One player who might be available for them to sign is former Braves farmhand Charlie Morton. It’s been a long time since he debuted in Atlanta back in 2008, but this two-time AL All-Star won a World Series with the infamous 2017 Houston Astros and played a huge role in the Tampa Bay Rays winning their second AL pennant in franchise history. He will be 37-years-old in 2021.

Atlanta tried to bring in a veteran starting pitcher to help bring Soroka, Fried and the rest of the young staff along. While Dallas Keuchel did just that for the 2019 team, Cole Hamels gave the Braves a grand total of three innings pitched this fall and Felix Hernandez opted out before the start of the season. Anthopoulos cannot let his rotation be this exposed next season at all.

Morton emerged as the Rays’ most reliable pitcher in the postseason. He has earned a reputation as an innings eater. In 2020, Morton was 2-2 in nine starts with a 4.74 ERA and 42 strikeouts. Those stats don’t jump off the page, but he was utterly dominant in the Rays’ ALDS victory over the New York Yankees and the ALCS’ victory over his former team in the Astros. He’ll be available.