Pitcher Charlie Morton leaving Rays for Braves

Pitcher Charlie Morton is leaving the Rays for the Braves.

Morton, who pitched the Rays to a Game 7 victory over the Astros in the American League Championship Series, signed a one-year deal worth $15 million, the Braves announced in a statement Tuesday.

The deal is the largest free-agent contract so far this offseason, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, who first reported the agreement.

The Braves and Rays were the finalists for Morton, Feinsand reported.

Morton is returning to the team that drafted him in 2002 for the same money that the Rays turned down when they declined his club option last month, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Passan was the first to report that the sides were closing on a deal.

Morton, 37, spent the past two seasons with the Rays. He had a 2-2 record and 4.74 ERA in nine starts this past season. He went 3-1 during the postseason as Tampa Bay advanced to the World Series.