AL East Notes: Morton, Rays, Neander, Yankees
As has been the trend in his last few seasons, the veteran right-hander Charlie Morton spoke to his wife after the 2024 campaign to find out if he would try to put together another runner. In this case, however, Morton may at some point make a decision before his 2024 season ends. Morton told MLB.com’s Jake Rill and other reporters that in his regular season debut with the Braves, “I remember coming off the field and it was just like a sinking feeling in my stomach – it didn’t feel right. I’m sure a lot of guys at the end of their careers, they’re thinking about retirement, shutting down, and you really want to get off the field one last time and feel good about it. And most guys don’t get that chance. I didn’t feel good about it. I felt like I could have done better. I felt like I still had the tools to be a good pitcher in the big leagues.”
Now about to enter his 18th major league season, Morton, 41, has signed a one-year, $15MM deal with the team. Orioles. It suited Morton both because the O’s are a contender, and for important off-field reasons. Morton and his wife Cindy each have family near the Baltimore area, and the Orioles’ Spring Training camp in Sarasota is near the Mortons’ home in Bradenton, Florida.
More from the AL East…
- Erik Neander said “we will look at those possibilities” to continue to strengthen the player side of the position, but i rays’ The president of baseball told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that the team’s offense can only improve based on internal sources. “You’re relying on other players inside to take that next step forward or come back from where they’ve been, and that was like ’22 and obviously ’23 offensively….There’s a variety of players that we have that we think there’s good reason to believe are going to be better than where they were last year, and /or just as a unit, that we can be a little better….kind of using history as a guide,” said Neander. When considering adding veterans to the mix, Topkin notes that along with salary costs, the Rays also weigh whether a veteran can take the bats away from a younger player who can bring similar production in the same amount of playing time.
- I The Yankees has lost a total of 14 coaches, coordinators, and player development staff to other teams since the start of the season, with the New York Daily News’ Gary Phillips running a complete list of departed names throughout the organization. As VP of player development Kevin Reese admits, this “unusually high” profit amount, or “when other teams come after them and get promoted and bring guys to the big leagues, that speaks volumes for the people we had. We are very proud to have the right people and continue to build it.” The depth of the staff may have contributed to these departures, as “there are a lot of places where people step up before there’s chaos,” said Rick Guarno, who is now the Mets’ Triple-A manager after a stint as a coach. hitting coach with the top Yankees team.
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