The Orioles dove back into the free agent market Friday, agreeing to a one-year, $15 million deal with right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton. Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the news:
Jacob Calvin Meyer, reporter: The Orioles signing a veteran innings-eater to a one-year contract should be the least surprising news this offseason. Yet, with owner David Rubenstein’s deep pockets and a World Series window wide-open, the hope from a starved fan base was for this offseason to be different.
So far, it hasn’t been. There’s still time. The offseason isn’t over. While the Orioles have added solid veterans in Tomoyuki Sugano, 35, and Morton, 41, to provide starting pitching depth, there’s still a hole atop the rotation with Corbin Burnes now an Arizona Diamondback. Perhaps general manager Mike Elias swings another late-offseason trade for a front-of-the-rotation arm to give the Orioles a true World Series-caliber rotation. But the Morton addition has perhaps dimmed the hope for such a move.
If this is it, Rubenstein’s first offseason won’t be much different than during his predecessor’s tenure. New year, new owner, same old Orioles.
Matt Weyrich, reporter: Is this the final move the Orioles make to address their rotation this offseason? If it is, their pitching staff will lack the ace-caliber starter it’s had the past two years in Corbin Burnes (2024) and Kyle Bradish (2023). Morton is a quality starter who will fill an important role as a durable arm capable of giving the Orioles 30-plus starts, but the 41-year-old likely slots into the middle of their rotation behind Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez.
Between Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano, the Orioles have bolstered their pitching depth significantly to address what was a shortcoming exposed by injuries in the first half of last season. They also spent $28 million between them, a sign that owner David Rubenstein is more willing to invest in player payroll than his predecessor John Angelos.
Yet these moves feel more complementary than they do headliners. Without a proven ace atop their rotation, the rest of the Orioles’ starters will need to either improve or show more consistency to fill that void.
C.J. Doon, editor: Can the Orioles trust a 41-year-old pitcher to eat innings in the middle of their rotation? Morton has a long track record of success and has not showed any signs of slowing down, posting a 4.06 ERA over his past four seasons while starting 30 or more games in each one. The 17-year-veteran has often been at his best in the postseason, recording a 3.60 ERA across 80 innings while winning a pair of World Series championships with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves, though his most recent playoff start in 2022 ended poorly. You just never know when that cliff is coming (see: Craig Kimbrel).
Regardless, Morton’s experience and leadership should do wonders for a young Orioles pitching staff that needs more from Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer and eventually Kyle Bradish to not only compete in the rugged American League East but finally get over the hump and win a playoff series. He should speak pitching coach Drew French’s language after the two worked together in Atlanta.
This is a lot of money for a pitcher who might not have much juice left to squeeze out of his right arm, but it’s a worthwhile bet to make. By FanGraphs’ wins above replacement, Morton (3.8) ranked 12th among free agent starting pitchers, ahead of perhaps more enticing options such as Patrick Sandoval (3.5), Andrew Heaney (3.5), Shane Bieber (2.8) and Max Scherzer (2.8). That said, it will extremely disappointing if Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano are the only pitchers Mike Elias adds to the rotation. It’s time to make another trade for an ace.
Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon.