Not only have the Atlanta Braves been in a massive rut, but their starting rotation is unrecognizable.
Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach, the two best starters for the Braves all year, hit the injured list within two weeks of each other. Neither is slated to return any time soon, and the Braves are struggling to field five healthy starters in their wake.
At 40-51, the Braves have barely any time left to make a push toward the playoffs, as they sit 9 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot as of Thursday. But if anything can spur them to October, it's the addition of a starting pitcher or two.
Steven Teal of FanSided has a somewhat surprising suggestion as to who that starter could be.
On Thursday, Teal proposed a trade deadline reunion with Baltimore Orioles starter Charlie Morton, the 41-year-old wonder who pitched for the Braves from 2021 to 2024 and played an integral role in their lone World Series title this century.
"Morton started the year terribly, but has since improved. He's familiar with the Braves and would provide some much-needed veteran leadership to the rotation," Teal wrote.
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"Uncle Charlie has a 2.97 ERA over his last seven starts with 11 walks and 44 strikeouts. His familiarity with Atlanta and impending free agency make this an easy trade for the Braves to make."
Morton's season numbers still don't look great (5.47 ERA, -0.4 bWAR), but the recent trends are encouraging, as are his high strikeout numbers on the whole. But is he worth giving up anything of value for if Atlanta is going to miss the playoffs anyway?
Perhaps if the Braves start raking in the next couple of weeks and can gain a few games in the standings, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos will get a stroke of inspiration and try for a Morton reunion.
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