3 Braves free agents who won’t be back next season and why
By Tim Boyle
These three Atlanta Braves free agents are playing their final weeks with the team and will not be back in 2023.
The Atlanta Braves are hoping to win their second straight World Series in 2022. They’ll plan to accomplish this with a bunch of young guys signed to long-term deals, a few others yet to get paid, and even a few soon-to-be free agents along for the ride.
The Braves have quite a few free agents possibly coming off of the books this winter. Their roles within the organization vary from everyday contributors to one-year mercenaries brought in for a minor role.
Among them, which of those bigger free agents won’t be back? It’s these three Braves free agents we can already count on not returning to the club in 2023.
1. The Braves have no reason to bring back Charlie Morton
Charlie Morton has pitched better of late for the Braves and wouldn’t be such a bad veteran to have in the rotation. Maybe the two sides can come to some sort of agreement. His deal with Atlanta paid him $15 million last year and another $20 million this season. In 2023, there is a team option for another $20 million.
Morton is surprisingly the highest-paid player on the Braves in terms of 2022 salary. They’re a uniquely built club in that way. One would think will the amount of talent that they have there would be at least one other player making over $20 million. Matt Olson’s deal does increase next year to surpass what Morton would make if the team did pick up that way-too-expensive option on him.
Between their young starters alone, the Braves have a nearly complete rotation. They could absolutely get away with signing a veteran to fill in for Morton. It would even make sense to keep Jake Odorizzi for far less.
Morton will be gone from the Braves in some capacity this offseason. He’ll need to take a huge pay cut in order to return. While the Braves can afford him, it’s just not smart to have a nearly 40-year-old pitcher eating that much of the salary.