The Orioles will look for better in 2025 after losing in the AL Wild Card Round last year. And, Baltimore will do so with a re-aligned rotation. After losing out on the big arms in free agency, including Corbin Burnes, the Orioles signed Tomoyuki Sugano, and on January 3, ex-Brave Charlie Morton to a one-year deal.
A Look at Morton
The 2024 season saw Charlie Morton become the 10th pitcher in MLB history to strike out 150 or more batters in a year, at age 40 or older. And, the ex-Brave did it roughly the same way he revitalized his career years earlier.
Morton remained one of the most interesting pitchers at the age of 40 in 2024. Last season with Atlanta, Morton struck out 167 over 165.1 IP, with a 4.19 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. While the right-hander saw his walk rate drop two percent, his Whiff% went down to 26.1%, from 32.2% in 2023. He also saw a 1.5% increase in barreled-up pitches.
Despite the drops in whiffs, the numbers on Morton were quite good overall. The now-41-year-old maintained his velocity, sitting in the mid-90s with his four-seamer and two-seamer.
The two fastballs, coupled with a cutter, give Morton cover for what is a fine four-seamer, albeit one with below-average IVB (10.5”). He generates a fair amount of ground balls, and can switch things up with a changeup with above-average drop. His change, though, was hit well by opposing batters last season. Opposing hitters slugged .600 on it in 2024, as it saw too much plate at times.
And much like in previous years, Morton relied heavily on his unique curveball. Morton’s curveball comes from a far lower arm slot compared to others. His average 20.9° average arm angle on curveballs is second-lowest among pitchers who threwo 500+ curves in 2024, behind only Nick Lodolo. It’s a hard pitch and one that breaks hard and to the glove side.
The unique profile gives Morton leeway to throw the curve both in and out of the zone, and more often or not, it works out for him. Last season, batters only hit .200 off it last season with a 34.2% Whiff%.
The Orioles announced a one-year deal for Charlie Morton. Per reports, it’s for $15MM.
Analysis
Reports out of Atlanta indicated Morton wasn’t coming back. Considering how the Braves shaved off salary with moving on from Jorge Soler, Travis d’Arnaud, and Ramon Laureano, among others, that decision wasn’t shocking.
Morton will join another contender, this one in the American League. He’ll also reunite with ex-Astros executive Mike Elias, now running the Orioles’ front office. The acqusition follows a familiar path the Orioles have followed this winter.
Baltimore hasn’t looked to commit long-term money this winter. The Orioles saw ace Corbin Burnes head to Arizona, while Anthony Santander likely won’t be coming back. Instead, the O’s signed OF/DH Tyler O’Neill to a three-year deal, then added Yomiuri Giants pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year deal.
These actions, while somewhat surprising, shouldn’t be shocking. While the Orioles have a win-now core, the reality is that the young group Baltimore has will need to be paid in future years. Gunnar Henderson is one-year away from arbitration, while Adley Rutschman, with three years of service time, will go through arbitration for the first time.
Adding pitchers on long-term deals could mean having too much money on the books to re-sign a star in two to three years time. So, what is a contender to do: pay their big bats who have likely have anywhere from seven to 10 big seasons left, or try to maximize their window but also risk losing big pieces in the future?
It’s a tough decision. However, despite the Orioles losing Burnes, Baltimore’s rotation doesn’t look bad on paper. Grayson Rodriguez looked like a budding ace when healthy last season, while Morton was effective. If the Birds can get back-end help from Trevor Rogers or Cade Povich — the latter of whom pitched well over the final month — Baltimore isn’t in bad shape.