The Orioles are adding 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 the deal is worth $15 million.
The move comes one week after the Orioles lost ace Corbin Burnes to the Diamondbacks when he bolted for Arizona on a $210 million deal, though the team made a “competitive offer” to retain him, the Baltimore Banner reported.
While the Orioles aren’t likely to get the production they had from Burnes — a former Cy Young winner — in Morton, they are bringing in someone who has been a dependable arm.
Outside of the COVID-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 tossed 165 1/3 innings with a 4.19 ERA and 4.46 FIP to go along with 167 strikeouts.
FanGraphs projects him tossing in the 154-inning range this coming season, something the Orioles can desperately use after their staff was decimated by injuries in 2024.
At this point in his career, he relies primarily on his curveball, ranking in the 83rd percentile on Statcast’s breaking ball run value while throwing the pitch over 42 percent of the time.
Starters Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells all suffered elbow injuries that required surgery last season, and Grayson Rodriguez (right lat/teres muscle) missed the playoffs after getting injured in August.
With a healthier rotation, the Orioles are hoping to make a deeper run in October after getting swept in the wild-card round by the Royals.
