On Friday, the Baltimore Orioles and veteran right-hander Charlie Morton reached an agreement on a one-year, $15 million contract.
The 41-year-old Morton, who saved Game 7 of the 2017 World Series against Houston, will try to fill a void in Baltimore’s rotation. This will be Morton’s 18th major league season.
This offseason, the Orioles also signed 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano of Japan to a one-year, $13 million contract. Baltimore’s ace from 2024, Corbin Burnes, signed a $210 million contract with Arizona last month.
Morton has a career record of 138–123. He pitched 165 1/3 innings for Atlanta last season, going 8-10 with a 4.19 ERA.
He is one of four pitchers who have made at least 30 starts in every full season since 2018 (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season), alongside José Berríos, Patrick Corbin, and Aaron Nola. Morton went 45-34 with a 3.87 ERA over his last four seasons with the Braves.
Morton has previously played for the Braves, Astros, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Orioles designated catcher Rene Pinto for assignment.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias has a history of signing veteran starters on one-year contracts. Burnes was acquired in a trade from Milwaukee prior to last season. Elias signed Kyle Gibson in 2023, and Jordan Lyles the year before.
The Orioles have made the playoffs each of the past two seasons but were swept in their initial series each time.
