92.9 The Game’s Grant McAuley posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the veteran pitcher admitted he may have retired sooner had he had more success early in his career.

“I do regret not figuring it out sooner because I’m not sure that I would still be playing if I had and it’s taken me away from my family,” Morton said, via McAuley. “I think that’s probably my biggest regret is the circumstance that it’s caused with me and the opportunity in baseball. Because now I have to say, ‘Man, you’ve worked to get to the point where you feel like you’re actually contributing in the game and now what? You’re just going to walk away? Now you’re not actually going to go through with it and grind it out until the game tells you it’s over?”

Charlie Morton, 41, still planning to pitch after stint with Braves

Morton, a third-round draft pick in 2002, made his MLB debut back in 2008 with the Braves but was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates the following year. He remained with the Pirates until 2015 when he made his way to the Philadelphia Phillies via another trade.

After the 2016 season, he signed with the Houston Astros, with whom he would earn his first All-Star selection and World Series title. In his two seasons with Houston, Morton went 29-10 and recorded a 3.36 ERA and 1.176 WHIP.

Morton parlayed his Astros success into a two-year, $30 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, with whom he earned another All-Star selection, as well as All-MLB Second Team honors. In 2019, he also finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting after a season in which he finished 16-6 with a career-low 3.05 ERA, 2.81 FIP, and MLB-best 0.7 HR/9.

Nearly two decades after being drafted by the Braves, Morton returned to Atlanta on a one-year deal before the 2021 season, which he and the Braves finished with a World Series championship.

Unfortunately, Morton was injured in the World Series — the then 37-year-old pitcher broke his leg in Game 1 of the series after being struck by a hit ball. Despite that, Morton stayed in the game for the time being and threw a number of pitches before exiting the game.

Despite being the third-oldest active player in MLB, Morton proved somewhat effective albeit inconsistent last season; he recorded a 4.19 ERA and the third-worst FIP of his career but provided much-needed innings to the injury-riddled Braves.

While some teams may be understandably hesitant about Morton’s dip in production this past season and his age, there will almost certainly be at least a few interested parties in the pitcher this offseason.