The Orioles announced they had signed Charlie Morton to a one-year contract. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the veteran starter is guaranteed $15 million. Baltimore was named catcher Rene Pinto for the task of opening a 40-man roster spot.

Morton, who turned 41 in November, joins the sixth team of his career in his 18th MLB season. The two-time All-Star spent the last four seasons with the Braves, where he posted a 3.87 ERA in 124 starts. While Morton’s production has declined slightly in recent years, he has avoided the dramatic decline one would expect from a pitcher in his 40s.

The right-hander took the ball 30 times and posted a 4.19 earned-run average over 165 1/3 innings last year. During his final career run in Atlanta, he reached 30 starts and eclipsed 160 frames in all four seasons. Morton struck out 23.8% of opposing batters with a slightly increased walk rate of 9.3%. The strikeout rate was his lowest since his breakout 2017 in Houston, but remained a few points above the league average for starting pitchers.

Despite his age, Morton hasn’t lost much speed. His fastball averaged 94 MPH last year, a tick less than the last three seasons. His primary offering, his curveball, averaged the usual 81.5 mph. Morton continues to provide elite spin and generally strong results against breaking pitches. Opponents hit .200 against the curveball last season.

Overall, Morton’s production in 2024 was that of a solid fourth starter. However, he ran into some trouble in the second half. Morton allowed 4.37 earned runs per nine while posting a high batting line of .279/.357/.469 after the All-Star break. Morton rebounded in September after a shaky August, while his strikeout and walk grades remained stable throughout the season.

Atlanta, seemingly operating under strict budget constraints, never seemed interested in retaining Morton for a fifth season. There is speculation every year that he might retire, but last month it became clear that he planned to return for another year. The Athletic’s David O’Brien wrote that Morton wanted to sign with a team that had Spring Training near his home in Bradenton, Florida. The Orioles qualify. Their complex is in Sarasota. Morton won’t be as close to home as he was at Georgia to start the season, but that’s obviously less of a concern than the geography of spring training.

Morton is Baltimore’s second experienced signing this winter. His signing comes three weeks after the O’s signed the 35-year-old Japanese star Tomoyuki Sugano on a one-year, $13 million contract. Both pitchers are considered durable back-end starters at this stage of their careers. The Orioles had to expand their rotation at the back Zach Eflin And Grayson Rodríguez. Sugano and Morton each make sense on their own, but neither brings anywhere near the advantage they lost back then Corbin Burnes went.

The offseason is halfway complete. Baltimore was tied Jack Flahertythe best unsigned starter. They’re an obvious fit for potential trade candidates like Luis Castillo And Dylan Stop it. There is no guarantee that this is their final step. However, in the first few months of the offseason, they have shied away from making the splash that many in the fan base expected under new owner David Rubenstein. In addition to the rotation acquisitions, they signed an outfielder Tyler O’Neill to a three-year contract that guaranteed almost $50 million and brought in revenue Gary Sanchez as a backup catcher/designated hitter on an $8.5 million contract.

More will follow.