According to league sources, the Mets’ pursuit of free agent starting pitcher Charlie Morton actually began with the previous administration, when then-GM Brodie Van Wagenen reached out to express interest. It continued under Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson.
Ultimately, though, Morton wanted to remain close to his Florida home, and agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract with the Atlanta Braves. The Rays were also heavily in the mix.
A union between Morton and the Mets wasn’t meant to be, but the team’s interest offered a few insights. One, Van Wagenen was always willing to be aggressive early in an offseason, a trait that was evident until the very end of his run as GM (it’s also a mark of professionalism that he did so while likely understanding he would soon be out of a job).
.jpg)
Two, the Mets under Alderson will continue to talk to most of this winter’s high-end free agents. While Morton opted to go elsewhere, the team's interest in him was genuine.
Three -- and this one won’t go down as easily for Mets fans -- Morton’s decision has made the Braves even more formidable next year than they were in 2020.
Atlanta won the National League East and nearly advanced to the World Series last year without Morton. They took a three-games-to-one lead over Los Angeles in the NLCS, then failed to close out the series; if they’d had Morton, the result might well have been different.
The Braves are likely to lose Marcell Ozuna to free agency, but industry sources expect them to be aggressive in finding an impact bat to replace him.