Braves rumors: Charlie Morton's successor, Michael Soroka time, Vaughn Grissom rakes

Atlanta Braves rumors: Who could replace Charlie Morton if he retires?

Charlie Morton has another World Series to win, but Braves fans need to prepare for "Ground Chuck" possibly hanging up the spikes after this year. He may be pushing 40-years-old, but Morton has aged like fine wine as a big-league pitcher. Since his mid-30s, Morton has emerged as one of the most trusted big-game pitchers in the sport. It would be great to have him back, but what will he do next?

Atlanta does have a club option for 2024.  If Morton wants to keep pitching, I would not hate that. However, given how strong of a team the Braves have been for the last half-dozen years and seem to be on the verge of something dynastic going forward, they might be able to sign someone in free agency of note. Look no further than guys like Shohei Ohtani, Sonny Gray, Lucas Giolito and others.

Ohtani is the biggest name out there. He may want to play for a big-market team on the coasts, but Atlanta can give him something most other teams cannot: Winning at an absurdly high level. I would venture to guess that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the presumptive favorite to sign the Los Angeles Angels phenom, but other teams will be interested. Plus, Atlanta could just promote a guy from within.

This is all about allocating resources the best, and if Morton wants to come back, it'll be $20 million.