The Orioles add a 17-year MLB veteran to their rotation.
Baltimore signed right-hander Charlie Morton to a one-year contract on Friday, the team announced.
The Post's Jon Heyman confirmed that the deal is worth $15 million.
The move comes one week after the Orioles lost infielder Corbin Burns to the Diamondbacks when he was traded to Arizona in a $210 million deal, though the team made a “competitive bid” to retain him, the Baltimore Banner reported.
While the Orioles are unlikely to get the production they got from Burns — a former Cy Young winner — in Morton, they are bringing in someone who has been a dependable arm.
Outside of the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, Morton has thrown at least 146 innings every year since 2017, leading the majors in games started (33) in 2021.
In his age-40 season with the Braves last year, Morton still threw 165 1/3 innings with a 4.19 ERA and 4.46 FIP to go along with 167 strikeouts.
FanGraphs expects him to throw in the 154 innings range this coming season, something the Orioles could desperately use after injuries ravaged their 2024 staff.
At this point in his career, he relied primarily on the curveball, ranking in the 83rd percentile in Statcast's breaking ball run value while throwing pitches more than 42 percent of the time.
Rookies Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells all suffered elbow injuries that required surgery last season, and Grayson Rodriguez (right dorsal muscle) missed the playoffs after being injured in August.
With a healthier rotation, the Orioles hope to make a deeper run in October after being swept in the wild card round by the Royals.
