The Rays are interested in free-agent righty Charlie Morton and have had initial conversations with his representatives, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
While Morton would normally seem a pricey target for the perennially budget-conscious Rays, the Tampa Bay organization likely has more spending capacity than most would expect. Kevin Kiermaier is the lone guaranteed contract on the books in both 2019 and 2020, and Tampa’s remaining slate of arbitration-eligible players — Mike Zunino, Tommy Pham, Matt Duffy and Chaz Roe — are projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn just $12.2MM combined.
Beyond that, the Rays have compiled an impressive collection of pre-arbitration talent, headlined by AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Rookie of the Year candidate Joey Wendle, leading to a projected 2019 payroll of just $37.3MM at present. That figure includes a full 25-man roster as well as the $2MM they’ll owe the Giants in 2019 as part of last winter’s Evan Longoria trade. Low-spending as they may be, the Rays have averaged a $64MM Opening Day payroll over the past decade, so even a competitive bid for Morton — MLBTR estimated a $16MM annual salary on a two-year deal — would technically fit into the budget. Then again, the Rays have never really spent at that level (or close to it) on a free agent before.
Morton, however, aligns with what Topkin reports to be a desire by the Rays to add a short-term boost to their rotation. The 35-year-old has made clear in the past that he doesn’t expect to continue his playing career more than a couple of years, given a preference to spend time with his growing family sooner rather than later. The Astros did not issue a qualifying offer to Morton, which rated as a surprise, but they’ve reportedly made a one-year offer to him since the season ended.
While it’s frankly difficult to envision the Rays submitting the winning bid for a relatively high-priced free agent, Morton would certainly give them a formidable one-two punch with Snell atop the pitching staff. Beyond that pairing, some combination of Tyler Glasnow, Ryan Yarbrough, Yonny Chirinos and Jalen Beeks would likely get the lion’s share of innings among current Rays pitchers, though Tampa Bay’s atypical utilization of pitchers makes it impossible to forecast a traditional division of the team’s workload on the mound.
gotothevideotape
I WAITING for the peanut gallery to react, ready??
WAY TO GO AGAIN CASHMAN
gotothevideotape
Edit
I’m
walls17
He’s the guy I want most now on the free agent market. He was right after Corbin on my list
gotothevideotape
me too walls
Billy Vidler
I hope you get him. If my Astros can’t, I hope he goes to a class organization. Y’all will love this guy!!
walls17
Someone explain to me why the Yankees aren’t in on him? Probably will get a better deal for the team than Happ and you can argue that he’s better than Happ.
JJ Wattcha Going to do Brother
He doesn’t want to pitch in New York
walls17
Says who?
snotrocket
Most people who don’t live in New York don’t like New York.
walls17
So you’re just talking without actual sources or anything? Cool
AlvaroEspinoza 2
1 of every 38 Americans lives in NYC. Seems it’s pretty popular.
odogfenway
1 in 3 people in the world live in China or India…doesn’t make them popular
3rdStrikeLooking
Yea, the dumb one.
elscorchot
There’s quite a few New Yorkers in Miami saying how great New York is. Just sayin
southpaw2153
I lived in NY for 35 years. It sucks, unless you like sky high taxes, traffic jams and a zillion people. No, thanks.
JJ Wattcha Going to do Brother
It’s been speculated here in Houston for some time by our media.
Phanatic 2022
I thought his wife’s family was from Delaware so he wanted to be on the east coast. Or was that someone else?
steelerbravenation
Yeah but I think that was more of a way to get Philly interested
JJ Wattcha Going to do Brother
You’re correct. Orioles and Pittsburgh won’t go after him. Nationals just signed Corbin. I’m guessing Phillies if he doesn’t resign with Houston.
brickhaus
Not sure where Delaware came from, but he actually lives in the Tampa Bay Area.
JJ Wattcha Going to do Brother
He was quoted as saying if he didn’t resign with Houston he’d be interested in the east coast because his wife’s family lives in Delaware.
Dodgethis
Isn’t his wife Brandon crawfords sister?
Mendoza Line 215
That is Gerritt Cole who is married to Crawford’s sister.
Billy Vidler
Who does???
baseballpun
Given Morton’s public statements about his career, I doubt he wants to deal with NY media.
walls17
What did he say?
baseballpun
Not wanting to play much longer, spending more time with family…just doesn’t seem like he wants to deal with the extra NYY stress. Maybe proximity to Delaware would win out, though.
walls17
Yeah I heard that. But he’s also kinda local and being on the east coast. NY media doesn’t care about you unless you are struggling. I hate the NY media a lot. I hate yankees fans a lot but Morton is a great pitcher I doubt he would struggle here
baseballpun
Well if his biggest concerns are ultimately comfort and competitiveness, I imagine he’ll stay with Houston, so I suppose if he’s going to keep playing and leave Houston there’s not much reason why he wouldn’t play for a competitive NY for the right price.
imgman09
yankees are Morton’s Pawn
SabrinasDaddy
Same for Dodgers. Why isn’t Morton on their radar?
yarritsblake
Probably is on their radar, but they seem more interested in adding a #1 type starter (a la Kluber or Bauer) than they are a #3-4 type guy like Morton. They already have plenty of those in Ryu, Hill, Wood, Maeda, Urias, Stripling, etc. Morton would be redundant, and money that could have been spent addressing a real need (like the bullpen, 2B, or C).
SabrinasDaddy
The Big difference I see is that Morton is right-handed and can add balance, unlike the other lefties and a bullpen safe Maeda. Yes he’d be a #3 on the Dodgers but with a proven playoff pedigree attached. It all depends on the $$…
Troutmagnet
Doesn’t he live in NJ too? Seems like a match.
virginiascopist
Need geography help here. Is Tampa close to Delaware?
baseballprodigy
Tampa is a place that a lot of athletes like to come to and most of them have places in Florida where they stay
User 4245925809
Tampa area, as in central florida does have a lot of athletes staying there.
Florida itself is low tax.. NO income tax. Relatively safe, warm most of the year around and surrounded by beaches people go to 12 months of the year and enjoy. Things most, if no other states offer combined together as a draw.
Monkey’s Uncle
Nothing is close to Delaware. Well, no one likes to admit that they are close to Delaware.
Cat Mando
“Well, no one likes to admit that they are close to Delaware.” Randy White, Judy Johnson, Delino Deshields, Steve Watson etc… may disagree.
brickhaus
If only he didn’t actually live in Bradenton Florida, which is about a 30 minute drive from Tropicana Field.
Cat Mando
“[I]t would be about the situation overall,” the right-hander said. “What’s the group like in the clubhouse? Where would I be? Would I be closer to [his wife’s] family (in Delaware) in a spot where she would prefer to be?” Morton goes on to list his own health and performance as additional determining factors in playing into 2019 and possibly beyond.
mlbtraderumors.com/2018/04/astros-rumors-charlie-m…
Troutmagnet
I thought his family was in NJ. No?
astrosfan4life
I hope he returns to Houston. Very good pitcher and even better guy.
braves25
This would be a good signing for the Rays. Give them another player to actually start games and potentially protect their bullpen for those other games. Snell, Morton, and Glasnow could all 3 actually start games. Then the can use the opener in the next 2 games.
RunDMC
Could be a safety net for ATL. They need a short-term guy that could have TOR potential, and Morton is from the system (that traded him away for Nate McLouth). He’d be a good fallback if none of the TOR trades pan out, but would keep the books clear for much of the next few years, though I’m sure he’d want a 2-year deal (and maybe an option) – if he deems ATL close enough to Delaware for family (ATL to DEL is 90 mins and I’m sure there’s a ton of direct flights from ATL all the time).
braves25
I don’t think the Braves should sign Morton. I believe that there should really only be 3 possibly 4 guys the Braves should look at getting. Trade for Kluber or Bauer (preferably Kluber), MadBum. or possibly for Greinke. I am not sure about the money attached to Greinke though.
Could Gohara and Beck be enough to get MadBum?
If those guys are not a fit then lets see what the guys we have can really do! Solidify the bullpen instead and go with Folty, Gausman, and Newk. Then let Teheran, Soroka, Touki, Fried, Gohara, Wright, and Allard fight for the final 2 spots. Surely 2 of those guys will take the next step forward!
petfoodfella
Why no Morton?
MadBum is not the pitcher he once was, why him?
No Bauer, he wants year to year contract – doesn’t fit Atlanta’s mold.
Maybe Kluber, but I’d be ok w/ Morton.
I really don’t see Atlanta taking on Greinke contract, they don’t really have a bad contract to send back to help the deal.
braves25
I don’t see Morton as an upgrade..except over Teheran! Hopefully some of our young guys take another step forward and push Teheran out of the rotation.
MadBum only has 1 year left at 12M…he is still definitely worth A LOT more then 12M. Plus he knows how to pitch in the playoffs and can pass that on to the younger guys.
Bauer is still under contract for 2 more years…it isn’t about him being here past then…The other guys will be ready to lead the rotation at that time.
Kluber is still a top 5 pitcher in all of baseball!
its_happening
Braves are in on Happ. AA probably doesn’t want to commit to more than 2 years but he wants Happ.
braves25
How do you know they are in on him?
I do agree though that the Braves do not likely want to go more then 2 years on any of the remaining starting pitchers.
braves25
@Mack83
You say no to Bauer because he only wants year to year contracts…What do you think Morton will be? He signs a 2 year deal at most…Bauer still has 2 years of control..Plus Bauer is a better pitcher then Morton.
In fact I could argue at this point that 1 year deals are the Braves mold. It will likely be their mold for a few years so they can lock up their own players long term.
steelerbravenation
Only problem with fallbacks is waiting for other options to fall out. Wouldn’t mind him but after the whole Kemp deal freeing up money for this year I expect better or if it is him than more than him & Donaldson. See him holding out for Philly though
Bruin1012
I wonder how good the Rays would be if they carried a 120 million dollar payroll?
raysfanenigma
Seeing as how smart they are without it, they’d be one of the best teams in baseball.
astrosfan4life
How smart are they?? They have 4 playoff appearances in 20 years. Clearly they aren’t too smart. Smart is building a perennial contender, which they are not.
mehcky
They have 4 playoff appearances in last 10 years also..but that didn’t fit your narritive ….
astrosfan4life
It still fits my narrative just fine. THEY ARE NOT A PERENNIAL CONTENDER. An occasional one-and-done playoff appearance sums up the Rays and many other teams completely.
The whole point is that they are not a smart organization, and if I’m wrong in my opinion, state your case. Only the 219 Ray’s fans would state that they are a smart, well-ran organization.
mehcky
Teams that have less playoff appearances than the rays in the last 10 seasons…
Mets, Marlins, Brewers, Pirates, Reds, Rockies, DiamondBacks, Padres, Bluejays, Orioles, Twins, White sox, Royals, ASTROS, Mariners, Angels
Only the Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, and Rangers have more..
considering there payroll, Id say its a very smart organization to remain as competitive as they have been.
astrosfan4life
Nearly every team you mentioned is also poorly ran and rarely competitive. Of those, one stands out as a recent World Series Champion. The Astros, who suuuucked badly for a few hours with the new owner in order to build a winning team from the ground up…and it’s worked so far. Just a few short years ago the Astros had the lowest payroll in baseball, so don’t use that as reasoning for your argument. The Rays aren’t even smart enough to raise payroll to attract good players.
astrosfan4life
Excuse me, two including the Royals. But like Miami, bad ownership immediately ruined their chances of being a perennial contender.
Dodgethis
Smartest team then is the giants, as their 3 world series wins in the last 10 years beats everyone.
bobtillman
And they’ve shown they would know what to do with a 120M payroll when? When Dan Duquette came over from the Expos (who had no money) to the Red Sox (who print dollars inside the Green Monster), fans couldn’t wait to see what happened. It didn’t take too long to see what a disaster that was; the bill collectors were going to shut the place down.; the Fenway faithful forget what a holy mess John Henry took over.
And the margin for error in Tampa is a lot tighter than in Boston.
raysfanenigma
Dan Duquette is a different GM than anyone the Rays like to have. They would do well with a larger payroll, it’s just a shame they can’t afford it.
Samuel
Friedman left the Rays and got the Dodgers big payroll job.
How’s he been doing?
raysfanenigma
Appeared in the World Series 2 consecutive years and made the playoffs each year Friedman has been there.
matt4baseball
Freidman has done a excellent job out in LA. having a 275 million budget helps an awful lot! He learned his craft with the Rays and left with even better managers than himself recetly promoted! Eric Neander and Chaim Bloom are genius analysts with charisma. The Rays management has a maximum 70 million budget and they compete every year. I believe the rays management is better because they do more with less every year.
braves25
If the Rays had a payroll of 120 mil, would they take a few more chances? Yes in theory you keep the same people in place and they should have a GREAT team with a payroll of 120 mil. However, they could also be willing to take a few more risks…that ultimately back fire and not be any better. With a payroll of 120 mil would they still have Longoria and Price? Luckily they were able to get out from under the Longo contract, but those are the potential alternatives.
bobtillman
Exactly. This is a FO that gave one of the best young pitchers in MLB (Marquez) for 2 years of Corey Dickerson, then had to GIVE Dickerson away (and lose 5M in the process). The Pham trade could very well work the same way; Justin Williams could easily be Pham, and they lost a more-than-decent pitching prospect (Cabrera) . And leave us not forget the Span/Colome give-away.
What do you call a Rays team WITH Marquez/Span/Colome? A playoff team. For those who didn’t like Span, I’d remind them that their starting LF in June was Rob Refsnyder….and Carlos Gomez was still starting in RF, for reasons only the Rays and God understand.
I hardly blame Neander and the gang….they make all their decisions based on the dollar. That MAY be changing; other owners have not been shy being vocal about Stuie lining his pockets with their money; neither has the MLBPA.
Like I said, interesting winter. They have both the cash and prospect capital to make the next step. Let’s see (a) if they know how and (b) if they really do it.
jordsmac26
You know nothing about baseball. This post just about sums up that.
gotothevideotape
Well, so far NO peanut gallery comments They must be still sleeping, nice and pleasant on here at the
moment.
Thomas Lane
Don’t forget about Jake Faria, he had an incredible year before an oblique strain led to a subpar 2018.
Norm Chouinard
“Then again, the Rays have never really spent at that level (or close to it) on a free agent before”: Pat “the bat” Burrell?.
bobtillman
Going to be a fun winter in Tampa; they obviously have some coin, and have some needs, in order to stave off some inevitable regressions and maybe even get better.
But having watched the ownership for a while, I predict they’ll sing the “we’re waiting for the future” song, and sign Bartello Colon.
And that actually makes some sense. They have to determine if Bauers is a MLBer, if a pitching-centric team can live with Adames’ follies at shortstop, and what exactly they have in Meadows. It’s a team full of some nice auxiliary pieces (D-Rob, Duffy, Wendle, Pham), but they lack impact bats and pitching depth.
And it’s the AL East. Bottom line? Probably wiser to wait for Honeywell and DeLeon and Banda to get healthy than sign Morton.
matt4baseball
They should sign Morton and move fast!. The Rays are way to slow when they are competing with other teams in free agency or trades. Losing Goldschmidt when they easily could have offered a better haul to AZ is bothering lots of us Rays fans.
bobtillman
And well it should. The Rays easily have what the Cards gave up….and Goldy, in a contract year, could have a JD Martinez-type effect on their lineup. Not to mention that if you look in the dictionary under “classy ball player”, you see Goldy’s picture. That’s important on a team that has some “types” (Pham, Adames, etc.).
And the nice thing is that would have not required any long term liability. Goldy does his thing, then moves along; nothing wrong with a “hired gun”.
jordsmac26
Your posts are getting worse as they go along. Embarrassing isn’t a word I can go with m o r o n I c stupidity are a few words if use. Maybe they should call you. Bob Tillman the Clown.
jordsmac26
“Inevitable regression” actually the Rays were one of the best teams in baseball last 3 months and lost 10 of their first 12 1 run games which is the only reason they didn’t win 95+. But again we know you don’t know much about baseball. Adames “follies” how can someone know so little about baseball? Reading your posts is like reading a 5 year old who can’t read ot watch since you clearly didn’t do any “watching” last few years lmao
tiredolddude
Reminds me a lot of AJ Burnett in terms of demeanor and understanding of what’s important in life (family). Good guy and glad he did so well after leaving the Pirates
gotothevideotape
Tire,
AJ, always a big favorite of mine.
ldfanatic
Astros of Phillies
Kennon Riley
As an Astros fan, I wouldn’t mind him signing with Tampa. They have a solid team over there and I really want them to contend, but the Red Sox/Yankees were just too much in 2018. Maybe 2019 can be different.
Fingers crossed he signs here, though.
goldenmisfit
This is what people said about cc going into the 2009 free agency. All we heard is he’ll never sign with the Yankees he does not want to play in New York he does not even want to play on the East Coast. How did that work out?
Cuso
It would seem that EVERY team has a need for Morton.
1.) recent success
2.) solid #3 starter
3.) doesn’t want a long term deal
Is there a team that wouldn’t find a place for him?
619bird
Phillies don’t want him?
threed75
I think he would be a good fit for the Reds as a starter, and maybe the Astros could do something about Bailey
coldbeer
The Rays window of opportunity is just beginning with the group they’ve assembled. Understanding their financial restrictions i personally think they should be going after a higher level arm via trade over signing Morton. Taking a chance on a guy like Stroman, for example, could be so much more impactful and fits their budget much better.
jordsmac26
Stroman isn’t as good as Morton and no he isn’t a better fit because quite simply? He isn’t as good but thanks for the input.
MarinerMiner
Well to be honest he sounds like a Yankee starting pitching target. Aging veteran who has only surpassed 160 innings twice in his whole career. Go get him Cashman.
Mendoza Line 215
Charlie,aka Ground Chuck,has been a fairly good pitcher when healthy.The Astros were very lucky in that regard the last couple of years.He will parlay that into a fairly good contract for two years,but his heart does not seem to be totally in baseball,and his body quite frequently is not either.
silverbackjack
but they’d have to go over their $57.00 budget
hojostache
I would love the Mets to make a run for him. Vargas was literally one of the worst players in the league last year; same for Reyes.
deGrom
Syndergaard
Wheeler
Morton
Matz