The Atlanta Braves have the luxury of too much talent. General manager Alex Anthopoulos is one of the best in the game, and while he is not immune to mistakes, he typically makes the right call. Sure, Max Fried looks great now, but how will that contract age? We'll see if AA is proven right. However, in the case of current Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Charlie Morton, we know Anthopoulos got it right.
Morton is on the wrong side of 40 years old. Atlanta reluctantly kept him at the bottom of the rotation well past his prime, if only because he induces more grounders than chuck himself. Morton was serviceable enough in a Braves uniform for a long time. Something worked for Morton in Atlanta that doesn't compute elsewhere. The Baltimore Orioles have found that out the hard way in 2025.
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Charlie Morton has failed miserably with the Baltimore Orioles
While most fans and pundits assumed Morton would retire if the Braves didn't re-sign him this winter, he instead opted to sign in Baltimore. Yes, the Orioles have made the playoffs the last few years, but they also have some significant holes in a tough division. Not to mention, Morton isn't a top of the rotation starting pitcher at this point in his career. Yet, thanks to losing Corbin Burnes and injuries, Baltimore has asked far too much from Morton. It hasn't gone well.
Morton has been moved back and forth from the bullpen the last week or so. When asked about whether he thought he could provide for the O's in the rotation, Morton was incredibly honest.
“If you said, ‘We’ll give you 30 starts to get this right,’ I’ll get it right. It’s just, how negatively do I affect the team during that process, right? That’s the question,” Morton said. “Do I think that I can still pitch well? Yeah. It’s just some of the things that are going wrong right now -- like just throwing strikes, making decent pitches consistently, getting into a rhythm, getting some momentum. That’s the issue.
That answer did not stop Brandon Hyde from calling out Morton, suggesting they needed more from their starting staff, as if Morton is the ace they let get away in Burnes. Brian Snitker would have never pulled such a move, and Morton wouldn't have been in that position to begin with.
Leaving Atlanta was the wrong move for Morton. If he were forced out, then he should've retired.