The Seattle Mariners want to compete in the A.L. West and have been shopping all offseason long. The latest rumors have them trading for the Washington Nationals' outfielder and first baseman Michael Morse.
Morse has spent his entire career moving. A third round draft pick by the Chicago White Sox, Morse found himself in Seattle where he spent his first four seasons. Morse was later moved to the Nationals on one of the most ridiculous one-for-one moves which sent Ryan Langerhans to the Mariners.
Morse found his stroke while with the Nationals in 2011 smacking 31 home runs and driving in 95 runs with a .303 batting average. He finally produced numbers to match his 6' 5" frame.
Now, the Mariners are searching for outfield help following the trade of Ichiro.
Morse makes a lot of sense for the Mariners. He provides pop while maintaining a very steady average. Once in the lineup on a daily basis, Morse proved capable of hitting major league pitching.
In 2005, his first season in the majors, he played 78 games and hit .278. He didn't play more than 70 games again until 2010 when he appeared in 98 games with the Nationals and hit .289. Last season he suffered a pectoral muscle injury and was out for a good portion of the season. he returned to play 102 games and hit .291.
The Nationals don't know what to do with Morse. His availability to other teams depends on what they do with Adam LaRoche, their first baseman. Rumors have the Nats signing LaRoche to at least two more years.
With the players in the Nationals outfield, Bryce Harper, Denard Span and Jayson Werth, Morse would be a highly productive odd man out who could probably land the Nationals some nice prospects.
The Nationals are believed to be spenders this season and they seem the favorite to land speedster Michael Bourn and have been in the race for Josh Hamilton. Morse would present a cheaper option who can provide a dynamic bat in the middle of the Mariners' lineup.
