Braves Rumors: 3 pitchers who could replace Charlie Morton if he retires
The Atlanta Braves could be looking to replace veteran Charlie Morton if he retires and these three options would be great avenues to do so.
There are kids in high school who weren’t yet born when Charlie Morton made his rookie MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves. That was back in 2008, and now it could be time for him to bookend his career with the same club as he’s nearing the end of his third season and, turning 40 years old in November, could retire at the end of the season.
To be sure, there is no guarantee that Morton retires. However, he has a $20 million club option with the Braves for the 2024 season, which seems a bit pricey for a team that often works on a tight-ish budget under Alex Anthopoulos to pay a starting pitcher who just completed his fourth decade on the planet – even if he’s doing so with a 3.54 ERA on the year.
If Morton retires (or doesn’t return to Atlanta), however, that leaves the Braves in a spot where the club will have a big veteran-sized hole in the rotation that they will need to fill. However, the good news for the Braves is that they have several Charlie Morton replacements in front of them who could step in and fill the void if he does indeed hang ‘em up or leave.
Braves Rumors: 3 Charlie Morton replacements for 2024 if veteran retires
3. Michael Soroka, Jared Shuster or another young arm
The litany of pitching injuries that the Braves have been forced to endure in the 2023 season could end up being a blessing in disguise for the future of the rotation, particularly if Morton isn’t around for the 2024 campaign.
With Max Fried and Kyle Wright on the shelf for long portions of this season (Wright remains on the IL), Atlanta has gotten good looks at the likes of Jared Shuster, AJ Smith-Shawver and the comeback kid Michael Soroka, among others.
To be sure, the results have undeniably been mixed when looking at the young arms in the Braves system right now when they’ve been in the big leagues. Over nine starts, Shuster posted a 5.00 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Soroka was a bit erratic as well in his return from multiple Achilles injuries with a 5.52 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in six outings (five starts). The 20-year-old Smith-Shawver had the best numbers over five outings (four starts), posting a 4.57 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.
With that said, garnering that experience and then having the flexibility to head back to Triple-A Gwinnett could have these young arms ready to join the rotation in the 2024 season. That would obviously be ideal if the Braves feel that they can trust one or multiple of these guys as they would be cost-effective replacements should Morton retire or be playing for somewhere else.
Having said that, banking on youth brings about inherent risk as well. That could be a drawback to Atlanta going this route to replace Morton, but it doesn’t completely rule it out as an option.