With Charlie Morton gone, the Braves need pitching depth in the worst way.
Charlie Morton officially signed with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, agreeing to a one-year, $15 million contract to join the AL East’s emerging contender.
That puts the Atlanta Braves in a perilous situation. Morton may not perform up to his customary standards last season, but he still made 30 starts and hurled 165.1 innings for a Braves team plagued by injuries. With Spencer Strider recuperating from Tommy John surgery and the farm system in disarray, Morton provided an all-too-rare source of stability.
The Braves expect to have Strider back in the lineup sooner rather than later this season, but Max Fried has left for New York. The Braves are without two everyday starters, and Strider will not be ready for Opening Day. That puts a lot of pressure on Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and second-year fireballer Spencer Schwellenbach — and it emphasizes how important Morton’s presence was, even as he aged.
Alex Anthopoulos and the front office have various options to choose from. The Braves aren’t cooked. Whether it’s a dramatic deal for Dylan Cease or Luis Castillo, or a different free agent splash, the Braves can find a way to compensate for their pitching losses. At least a little.
One could argue that Morton’s logical successor is another longtime MLB vet on his last legs.
Braves could seek to replace Charlie Morton with Max Scherzer on short-term deal
Max Scherzer, who has spent the last 1.5 seasons with the Texas Rangers, is someone the Braves are quite familiar with. He had played for the Mets before joining the Rangers. Before that, he was a long-time Washington National. Scherzer, 40, has been around the block several times. He’s faced the Braves on numerous occasions. And now he could be the key to reviving Atlanta’s rotation.
His days as the No. 1 ace are behind, yet Scherzer was an All-Star only a few years ago, in 2021. He signed a two-year, $86.6 million contract with the Mets because they believed he still possessed extraordinary abilities. That gamble did not pay off, but Scherzer was crucial to Texas’ World Series run in 2023. This season, however, injuries took their toll, limiting the right-hander to nine starts and 43.1 innings. He finished with a good 3.95 ERA.
It’s reasonable to question Scherzer’s durability at this stage in his career, especially given Morton’s workhorse attitude, but there’s no denying his skill. He’s a better pitcher than Morton when healthy, and he’d raise Atlanta’s ceiling significantly. Scherzer doesn’t pack the same velocity he once had, but he’s still averaging a chase % (36.4) near the very top of the league. He keeps hitters guessing with a strong five-pitch arsenal and misses many bats.
The odds are Scherzer would sign a one-year contract, allowing Atlanta to extract as much revenue as possible in 2025 before, hopefully, setting up a more sustainable replacement down the road. If the Braves don’t want to break the bank this winter, few short-term bets look more appealing than Scherzer.
