Yankees: Charlie Morton joining Braves is still NYY’s gain

Sure, the Yankees aren’t signing Charlie Morton…again, but it was never going to happen. And the Braves aren’t a half-bad spot.

Despite having some vidid dreams for the past few months, we can officially close the books on our “Charlie Morton to the Yankees” fantasies.

Could he extend his career with another one-year deal next offseason? Sure. But it’s clearer than ever that Morton’s desire to remain close to home in Florida has tethered him to either the Braves or Rays, and he’ll probably just re-up in Atlanta until his retirement.

Morton made his next move official on Tuesday in the biggest free agent signing thus far this offseason, agreeing to a one-year, $15 million deal with the Braves.

But even though he’s not coming north to the Bronx, Morton-to-Atlanta is probably the best-case scenario for how this could’ve played out for Yankees fans, considering the rumors.

Yankees fans with a grounded mindset always knew the real mistake was letting Morton walk from the Astros to the Rays in the first place two years ago. Missing out on him a second time this offseason was bound to be frustrating, sure, but his stated preferences seemed to rule him out, and the righty has likely already peaked (though he’ll still be effective and nails in the playoffs).

Early offseason rumblings, though, indicated he was likely to stay with the Rays, and we can all agree that any departure from Tampa should be celebrated. The Rays, poised to be our most prominent rival for the next several years, have now lost their decisive-game starter. There’s no replacing that in a snap, as Yankees fans learned when they let Andy Pettitte walk following the 2003 season. Remember 2004? That guy can’t just be replicated.

This move is also more proof that a World Series trip didn’t change the Rays’ ethos at all. Even though they’re on the verge of a championship, they’re still choosing to pinch pennies as hard as ever before. Blake Snell’s arbitration raises are about to kick in? Well, we better trade him. Snell and Glasnow couldn’t provide postseason length or reliability? Well, let’s ditch his insurance policy on an affordable salary.

The one thing keeping the Yankees in their personal race with the Rays is the Rays’ behavior.

Plus, there was a modicum of Morton-to-Boston buzz at some point, which would’ve been a great step towards resurrecting that rotation. After a few days of fighting over whether or not the Connecticut native had grown up a Yankees or Sox fan (Wikipedia said he loved Clemens, Morton said he’d like to pitch in Boston prior to 2019), that faded to the background, and now it’s been extinguished entirely. Probably not make-or-break, but good.

The bottom line is, in an ideal world, the Yankees would have an endlessly spiraling payroll, and would be able to address their rotation with the four best free agents on the market. If that wasn’t going to happen, the Braves were by far the best destination for Morton, and represent a pretty big exhale on this beautiful Tuesday morning. Give thanks.

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