ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves made their first roster moves of the offseason this week with a contract decisions for a few key players.
Major League Baseball teams had until 5 p.m. Monday to finalize their 40-man rosters and exercise club options before free agency could begin.
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The Braves announced on Monday that they picked up pitcher Charlie Morton’s $20 million option. Atlanta drafted Morton back in 2002 and spent his rookie year with the Braves in 2008. He returned to the team in 2020 and later signed an extension with the club option for 2024.
The organization decided not to pick up the option for outfielder Eddie Rosario, relief pitcher Kirby Yates and relief pitcher and Gwinnett native Collin McHugh. The team previously announced it would not bring back relief pitcher Brad Hand.
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Rosario became the hero of the National League Championship Series during the Braves’ World Series championship run in 2021. Rosario appeared in all 16 games during the 2021 postseason and won the NLCS Most Valuable Player award after he went 14-for-25 with .560 batting average and three home runs against the Dodgers.
After his success, the Braves signed Rosario to a 2-year, $18 million deal with the 2024 club option that would have been $9 million had the Braves picked it up.
Rosario, McHugh, Yates and Hand are now free agents.
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