The Atlanta Braves face a challenging offseason, particularly with their starting pitching rotation. Their ace, Spencer Strider, is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and left-handed pitcher Max Fried and veteran right-hander Charlie Morton are both set to enter free agency.
The Braves are expected to aggressively pursue bringing Fried back, but they haven’t been as vocal about re-signing Morton. However, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand believes Morton will return to Atlanta in 2025, suggesting that the Braves’ potential inability to re-sign Fried could make Morton a more likely candidate to rejoin the team.
“Max Fried seems likely to move on from Atlanta, but the 41-year-old Morton doesn’t appear ready to retire, paving the way for a return to the Braves,” Feinsand wrote. “Atlanta has Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, and Spencer Schwellenbach as part of their rotation, but Strider won’t be ready to start the season after his Tommy John surgery last year. Newly acquired Griffin Canning will also be in the mix.”
Re-signing Morton could be a smart move for Atlanta. The veteran pitched 165.1 innings with a 4.19 ERA last season, making him a reliable option for the rotation in 2025. Over his career with the Braves, Morton has posted a 4.09 ERA in 139 starts.
Spotrac projects him to land a one-year deal worth $17 million for the upcoming season. While the Braves might be able to get him at a slight discount, paying that amount for another 30 solid starts from Morton shouldn’t be a problem.
