Charlie Morton will be returning to the Atlanta Braves next year.
The 37-year-old right-hander agreed to a one-year, $20 million extension with the Braves for 2021, the team announced on Monday, per ESPN.
It also includes a $20 million club option for 2023 with no buyout.
Morton signed with the Braves this offseason to a one-year $15 million deal and struggled in his first eight starts, pitching to a 5.08 ERA, before turning his season around and pitching to a 2.95 ERA and 29.9% strikeout rate over his last 20 starts.
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Morton also leads the Braves with 13 wins in a rotation of hard-throwing youngsters like Max Fried, Ian Anderson and Huascar Ynoa.
The extension of Morton also helps the Braves as Mike Soroka’s future remains uncertain after tearing an Achilles tendon for the second time this season.
Morton, who was originally drafted by Atlanta and played for the Braves in 2008, has become a reliable, big-game pitcher late in his career.
His resurgence began in 2017 with the Houston Astros where he became an All-Star the following year and again in 2019 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
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