Michael Morse "almost certain" to join the Orioles (Update: Acquired for Avery))

[Old#5fan]

Why would you give up anything for a soon-to-be 35-year-old LF who is currently hitting .211, can't field, and is owed $7M for next year?

Would we have had to pick up the 7 M next year or could we just release him? I would pick it up if he hit like he normally does. There must be something wrong with him if he is hiting only 211? I always thought he could rake..

[LA2]

If they're similarly bad defensively it doesn't show up in the metrics. The metrics indicate that Morse is Adam Dunn bad, Pearce is maybe a few runs below average.

Plus just eyeballing his play in RF vs. the Orioles, Morse is dependably bad whereas Pearce tries to play the ball intelligently and even makes a good play once in a while: I remember last season when he patrolled the Green Monster for the first time ever--he played the caroms perfectly (not so much this season!). Morse is so bad that when an Oriole hit a flyball or linedrive his way I always thought, well, that shd be an out, but let's see if Morse misreads it, makes a foolish dive, jumps too early, etc. But maybe a defensively superb team like the O's can carry one inept outfielder if he hits very well....

[skanar]

Don't think Morse will be much help, but Avery is a pretty small price to pay.

I don't think Avery is quite as valueless as some are suggesting, and this is probably not a deal I would have made. But I think it's about fair, and it's certainly not going to cripple the O's or anything like that.

It's a much less bad trade than last year's for Thome or this year's for Rodriguez, IMO.

[NickM21]

Why would the Orioles put Morse in the field? Isn't he here to DH against lefties? Unless they plan to DH Valencia and put Morse in left, but wouldn't it be better with Valencia in the field?

[El Gordo]

DD on XM now says Morse in RF is a definite possibility. LF/RF/DH v LHP. Says he has more power than current LF and RF.

[waroriole]

Why would the Orioles put Morse in the field? Isn't he here to DH against lefties? Unless they plan to DH Valencia and put Morse in left, but wouldn't it be better with Valencia in the field?

I think we'd be better with Wieters in LF than Morse in LF.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Why would the Orioles put Morse in the field? Isn't he here to DH against lefties? Unless they plan to DH Valencia and put Morse in left, but wouldn't it be better with Valencia in the field?

Not sure the'yd dump Valencia from the LHP DH role while he's hitting so well. Valencia doesn't have much of a track record in the OF. Handful of games in AAA this year. Have to figure Morse is taking Pearce's role at corner OF against LHP and maybe DH against RHP if Betemit doesn't get going.

[CA-ORIOLE]

DD on XM now says Morse in RF is a definite possibility. LF/RF/DH v LHP. Says he has more power than current LF and RF.

The way Nick is going, I suppose that makes sense.

[Ripken]

DD on XM now says Morse in RF is a definite possibility. LF/RF/DH v LHP. Says he has more power than current LF and RF.

I have more power than the current RF. Just sayin...

[MDK02]

The way Nick is going, I suppose that makes sense.

I think Nick may have the least power out of every player on the team... sucks.

[DrungoHazewood]

Would we have had to pick up the 7 M next year or could we just release him? I would pick it up if he hit like he normally does. There must be something wrong with him if he is hiting only 211? I always thought he could rake..

They would have to pay him unless they subsequently traded him.

[jcarm]

But we couldn't have risked 3 million on Miguel Sano (still bitter about that one) but let's blow a million for nothing, absolutely nothing.

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130822&content_id=57938808&vkey=news_min&c_id=min

If you were Sano, would you have signed with the Orioles at that time? I probably would not have if I were him-even if the Orioles offered more money.

[wildcard]

I think it is going to be exciting to see what Buck does with Morse. Buck is a team first guy and he demands that his players be the same way.

Morse is a guy who:

1) Hates to DH and carries a career 515 OPS as a DH. Probably because he doesn't want to encourage any manager to play him at DH. Add to that this off season Morse will be a FA and he doesn't want anyone to think of him as a DH.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/washington-nationals-michael-morse-on-trade-block-but-opposed-to-being-DH-010813

2) He is a terrible defensive OFer. Kind of the anti-Buck kind of player.

3) He is pretty bad at 1B. Would look really bad subbing for Davis.

So how does Buck use him? Should be very exciting.

Oh and to play Morse at DH vs lefties Buck has to sit Valencia who is absolutely tearing the cover off the ball.

That is kind of why the acquiring Morse is a waste of $1.2M and the 23 yr/old Avery. Who by the way has an option left for next year and probably would have stayed of the 40 man roster this winter because the O's have about 10 other spots opening up with FAs, guys like Liddi and Thames leaving.

Besides those points; Nice trade. Very exciting.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

Love this deal! I think getting out of Safeco and coming to a contender will do wonders for the guy. I'll even go out on a limb and predict a monstrous tear shortly after he arrives, like Reynolds last August.

And not to get too cocky or anything, but my past predictions include the Rays making the playoffs in 2008(though I had them as the WC), the Nats winning the division last year, Davis hitting 40+ HRs this year, and the Sox contending for the AL East crown this year.

And also that the Os would break the losing streak in pretty every one of the last 6 or 7 years except for last year lol.

[Fiver]

I love how everybody whines when the team acts cheap and doesn't spend money; then they 'waste' a million on a possible upgrade to an offense that has struggled from time to time, especially lately, and people are upset about that too.

Some people just can't be happy I suppose.

As for me, who cares about the million? It's clearly within this year's budget, or they don't do it. It should not affect any type of budget for 2014 and beyond, so really, who cares? This team is NOT out of the playoff chase, despite the many 'we're done' posts to the contrary. And this move only helps our chances, even if it winds up being just a little bit.

If we had heard that the only reason they didn't take on Morse was because they didn't want to spend the money, then this place really would blow up.

Geesh.