Most overpaid players on the Braves roster for the 2024 season

If there's a front office every team should want to emulate, it's that of the Atlanta Braves, who have built an empire able to compete now and in the future thanks in large part to how they structure their contracts.

The Braves do very little damage in free agency, instead choosing to acquire talent through trades, and extend players from within. While this involves a bit of risk, the Braves are having their players sign for less than market value in the process.

Virtually the entire Braves core with the exception of Max Fried is locked in for the foreseeable future which is just terrifying for the rest of the NL East and National League in particular. With that in mind, it's hard to find anyone who is overpaid on this roster. While these three players are not on horrific contracts, they're probably making a bit more than they're worth presently.

3) Charlie Morton, SP

Somehow, Charlie Morton is the third-highest-paid Braves player, trailing just Matt Olson and Austin Riley. He's set to make $20 million in the 2024 season, $1 million less than Riley and $2 million less than Olson. While Morton definitely deserves to make a good amount of money, the $20 million is a bit expensive.

Morton has spent each of the last three seasons in Atlanta and has been a perfect fit in the middle of their rotation. He's made 30+ starts in each of those three seasons which has been extremely helpful, but there are reasons to be concerned about Morton heading into the 2024 season.

First of all, Morton is now 40 years old, making him one of the oldest players in the game. While that doesn't necessarily mean things will trend downhill, some of his stats have already taken a dip in the wrong direction.

Morton's strikeout rate, while still good, took a bit of a hit last season as his 25.6% K-rate was his lowest in a full season since 2015. His walk rate (11.6%) was the highest it had been since Morton's rookie year back in 2008. His 1.427 WHIP was the highest mark he's had since the 2012 season. He made just nine appearances that year.

There's every reason to believe Morton will be the solid fourth starter that Atlanta hopes he'll be, it's just hard seeing him be a $20 million pitcher. All the Braves care about is Morton pitching well in the playoffs. After missing last season's postseason due to a sprained index finger, Morton hopes to make an impact in October this time around.