 |
| Kendrys Morales back with the Mariners. Photo Credit: Elaine Thompson/AP |
In the powerhouse that has been the AL West division this season, the Seattle Mariners are trying to stay afloat when it comes to trying to stay in contention within the division and in the wild card race. Their main issue that is hindering them is the lack of offensive production from their overall lineup. This afternoon, Seattle made a trade to try and address that very issue.
By: Michael Hanley
In a trade with the Minnesota Twins, the Mariners have acquired DH/1st baseman Kendrys Morales in exchange for right handed pitching prospect in Stephen Pryor.
Morales, 31, is a seasoned veteran who was having an average season at best with the Twins. He was batting .234 with one home run and 18 RBIs through 162 plate appearances on the season. He did not sign with Minnesota until later than other free agents because of draft pick compensation being tagged with his free agency. The reason why that was attached with him going into the offseason was that he had turned down a qualifying offer from Seattle after the 2013 season had concluded.That usually will scare off a majority of teams who do not want to tap into their farm system for acquiring just one player, let alone an older player in Morales who does not put up the type of power numbers teams would need to have in hand in order to even consider giving up a young prospect in a deal.
The Mariners have been looking at acquiring a bat that would give their offense a much needed boost and help out what has been an excellent pitching staff overall in the run support department. The DH spot has been of particular concern for Mariners front office executives. That has been a huge hole in the lineup as that position has only yield collectively between the various players that have put in that spot a mere .196 batting average, easily one of the worst averages for that position in the American League. With Morales now back in the fold, he can more than help that spot get turned around and generate productive and consistent performance.
Morales is no stranger to the Mariners or hitting in Safeco Field. He was apart of the Seattle organization in 2013 and had a very solid season for them. He ended up batting .277 with 34 doubles, 23 home runs and 80 RBIs, numbers that almost any team would take, especially in a spacious, pitcher friendly park like Safeco is.
There were attempts by the Mariners to retain him after such a solid year. First, Seattle offered Morales a three year $30 million contract extension which was turned away by both himself and his agent Scott Boras. After that failed, the Mariners tried to exercise a one year, $14 million dollar qualifying deal which was also rejected by both Morales and Boras. Both deals that now looking back on would have surely been at least well thought over and possibly accepted with what has happened with Morales since he left Seattle last.
It looks as if the plan will be for Morales to platoon with Corey Hart at the DH position since Morales over his career has fared far better batting from his left side than his right. This also will give Hart an opportunity to keep his mark on this position by improving his overall performance which has been lackluster to say the least. Hart has struggled mightily this season as he is only batting .212 with 5 home runs and 19 RBIs hardly numbers that can be withstood much longer if Seattle plans to kick its offense into full gear moving forward.
If Morales can return to anything close to the batter he was in 2013 for Seattle, the Mariners would have won this trade out right with Minnesota. Seattle Manager Lloyd McClendon then could count on actually having a reliable RBI at the bottom of his lineup, taking pressure off and complementing the two run producing bats in the middle of his lineup right now in Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager.
This in turn would liven up this offense and could lead to others also start to contribute on a more normal basis which would be a welcomed sign for all involved with the Mariners. With the power loaded lineups of both the A’s and Angels in the division, Seattle needs to start generating some of their own if they are to make a dent in the 9 ½ games they trail Oakland in the standings and the 7 ½ games they trail the Angels by.
The pitching prospect heading to the Twins Stephen Pryor is a 25 year old relief pitcher who in 24 games with Class AAA Tacoma, Seattle’s Triple A affiliate, he has posted a 2-1 record with a 4.65 ERA. He is coming off surgery to repair a torn right lat muscle and has shown steady, but slow progress back from that injury. Its a player that the Twins can take their time with developing at their Triple A Rochester affiliate, where they have assigned him to work and see how he comes along and what he can improve on pitch wise.
So while the Mariners have made their move for a bat and offensive help, it is now just a time to see how things play out and if Morales could spark this club to any sort of rhythm and hot streak offensively.
