The Atlanta Braves are making a splash in the free agent market. First, they signed left-hander Drew Smyly a few days ago to shore up their rotation, but it didn’t end there. Unfortunately for the New York Yankees and Mets, star right-hander Charlie Morton, who last played for the Tampa Bay Rays, is signing with the Braves according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
The deal, per information provided by Feinsand, is a one-year contract worth $15 million. Both the Yankees and Mets had varying degrees of interest in the talented right-handed hurler. He is, however, opting to stay in the East coast but with another team.
The New York Yankees need to replace at least a couple of starters. Their rotation suffered a hit once free agency started, as James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and J.A. Happ all saw their deals expire after the World Series. They do have Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Domingo German, and Deivi Garcia under contract, but Luis Severino isn’t expected back until June or July 2021. They need to bring (or develop) at least a couple of starting pitchers.
The Mets, meanwhile, have Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, Marcus Stroman, and David Peterson under contract. They are in a similar spot than the Yankees, as they have an injured star recovering from Tommy John surgery (Noah Syndergaard) who isn’t expected back for the first couple of months into the 2021 campaign.
The Yankees and Mets need a pitcher like Morton
Both New York teams could have used the services of Morton, who had a mediocre 4.74 ERA (3.45 FIP) in 38.0 regular season innings with the Rays in 2020, but had an amazing postseason and a very good 2019 (3.05 ERA, 2.81 FIP, 194.2 IP, 11.10 K/9, 2.64 BB/9.)
The 37-year-old righty had previously stated he was considering retirement, but he let teams know that he wanted to keep playing. He had a club option declined by the Rays recently, which allowed him to hit the market.
What will the New York Yankees do to address their rotation needs? Will they pursue Trevor Bauer? Will they go after Corey Kluber? How about a trade? Only time will tell.