Charlie Morton Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Red Sox 'aggressively pursued' Charlie Morton in free agency

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 12/2/20

With Alex Cora back on board for the 2021 season, the Boston Red Sox are poised to be better than they were in 2020. However, they need pitching help, and they need it fast.

While the organization has been linked to a number of free agents, including Trevor Bauer and J.A. Happ, it reportedly "aggressively pursued" Charlie Morton, who ultimately signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Atlanta Braves.

MassLive's Chris Cotillo reports the Red Sox made a competitive offer to the right-hander, but he ultimately decided to return to the team that drafted him because of the proximity to his Florida home.

Sources: Red Sox aggressively pursued Charlie Morton before he signed with the Braves and are believed to have made a competitive offer.

Ultimately, he wanted to remain close to his FL home and chose the Braves.https://t.co/q0bZPcacEZ
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 2, 2020

Morton became a free agent last month when the Tampa Bay Rays declined his $15 million option for the 2021 season.

The 37-year-old joined the Rays in 2019 on a two-year, $30 million deal. He helped Tampa Bay reach the playoffs in both seasons, with a World Series appearance in 2020. In those two seasons, he went 18-8 with a 3.33 ERA and 282 strikeouts in 232.2 innings.

Morton's playoff numbers were impressive last season, too. He was 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA after going 2-2 with a 4.74 ERA during the regular season.

Although they struck out on Morton, the Red Sox have a number of other players they can pursue, including Corey Kluber, Garrett Richards, Masahiro Tanaka, Jake Odorizzi and James Paxton, among others.

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