Report: The Atlanta Braves have reach a $20 million deal with …..
ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) – The Atlanta Braves have agreed to terms with starting pitcher Charlie Morton on a one-year, $20 million contract with a club option for 2024 that does not contain a buyout.
Morton, 38, has a 9-6 record and a 4.29 ERA in 30 starts this season. Last year, he was 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA in 33 starts to help the team win the World Series. Since the start of last season, the two-time All-Star has produced a 23-12 record and a 3.80 ERA with Atlanta, and his 416 strikeouts rank third in the NL.
The deal was reached Friday. His contract this season is $20 million.
Morton’s 200 strikeouts this season are fifth-most in the NL, and he is one of just three pitchers in Atlanta franchise history to log at least 200 strikeouts in multiple seasons. Hall of Famers John Smoltz (five seasons) and Phil Niekro (three seasons) are the only others to do so. Morton fanned Wil Myers on April 14 earlier this season for the 1,500th strikeout of his career.
Morton, who was taken in the third round of the 2002 draft out of Barlow High School in Redding, Connecticut, made his major league debut with the Braves in 2008.
Morton was traded to the Pirates the following year in exchange for outfielder Nate McLouth and played seven seasons with the team. He spent the 2016 season in Philadelphia before joining Houston in 2017. He subsequently spent two years with Tampa Bay, beginning in 2019.
