Michael Morse is that guy who's always available in a trade. It doesn't matter where he plays. Chicago, Seattle, Washington, and Seattle again. Dude just can't find a home. And it looks like the professional hitter could be on the move yet again once he's off of the DL. Could it be to the Pirates?
Morse was traded earlier this year to the Mariners from Washington mostly because Washington didn't need him any longer and had nowhere to put him. He was rumored to the Pirates then and will surely be a target again, mainly because of that bat. This year Morse has clubbed 11 HRs for 23 RBIs with a slash of .252/.313/.454 OPS .767. He's been on the DL since mid June so those are solid stats, especially in a pitcher's park. You'd like to see more RBIs but those are hard to get when no one is on base for you. That seems to be the opposite in Pittsburgh with men on base and no one bringing them in. So could that change really make Morse a big weapon? Maybe. For Morse's career he averages 24 HRs and 80 RBIs a season with a slash of .290/.343/.487 OPS .830. He just hits and hits and hits. My big question is always hitting with RISP and Morse has not been good at that this year when the Mariners have gotten guys on base. He's hitting .170/.263/.358 with a .621 OPS. Yikes. But that's not characteristic for him. In his career he is very good with RISP hitting a .290/.365/.489 for a big OPS of .854. So I have a feeling if he got more chances with runners on, those numbers would skyrocket.
I only have a few issues with Morse. The big one that you didn't see me mention above that I usually do is defense. Morse is not good at it. He's a lot like Garrett Jones. Ok at first base and you only wanna see him in right if it's necessary. For Morse's bat, I think necessary is the word. Also, he always seems to be hurt. I don't want to trade for another Derrek Lee who rakes for us but only does it for 26 games so I'd have to be confident in his health before any trade. Lastly, those numbers with RISP are a little scary. I know they should go back to his career average but how long could that take?
I think Morse could be a great pickup. His price is low because he's hurt but when healthy, the Pirates could be perfect for him. I would place him right under his teammate Raul Ibañez as a top target. So NH should be calling Seattle a lot in the coming weeks. I like what Morse brings with a big bat and what he could do for the middle of the order and I like his leadership as a veteran who has playoff experience and can replace what we lose with Inge. I would ideally like to see him at first base instead of right field but it'd be hard to do. I thought of the possibility of trading for Morse AND Ibañez and then subsequently trading Garrett Jones. Then you could play Morse at 1B and Raul in RF against righties then Gaby at 1B and Morse in RF against lefties. That would really help the bench and make this team better. But I can't see that as realistic or happening because management loves Jones. But you never know. Well back to the purpose of the article, Morse would be a great fit in Pittsburgh and NH will need to start his late night calls to Seattle
Tomorrow's trade target will be OF Norichika Aoki
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