Would Pittsburgh Pirates Be Interested In The Beast, Michael Morse?

Beast Mode. Courtesy of the best baseball gear site on earth, 22Fresh.com

So Adam LaRoche stays in Washington and word on the street is Michael, don’t call me Mike, Morse is on the block.

An article on Fangraphs today said the Nationals are looking for a left-handed reliever.  That’s hard to believe, but if true the Pittsburgh Pirates would certainly be making a call to look into the situation.

Of course Michael Morse doesn’t fit as the current Bucs are constructed, but the team should be constantly looking at ways to improve, especially if the cost is so damn low.

The 31-year old Morse finished with a .291/.321/.470 and 18 bombs in limited action. Morse missed the first 50 games with a muscle strain in his lat and suffered more injuries with his wrist and also his hand that drained, at least some, of his power.

Two years ago, Mike Morse was beast like.  Remember, he hit 31 bombs.

Morse doesn’t have a huge value at the moment which is why the Natitude is low on a return.  Morse has some holes in his game and when combined with his contract, he isn’t going to fetch much.   The big thing that Morse provides is production at a low cost and a possible compensation pick. 

That pick should be gold for the Bucs, but as has happened so often in the past, the ballclub usually ignores moves like this and allows teams like the Blue Jays and Rays to make moves to stockpile talent.

Oct 11, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Michael Morse (38) at bat against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning of game four of the 2012 NLDS at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Morse is owed just $6.75 million and becomes a free agent after the 2013 season.    If the Bucs acquire him this offseason, the team could make him a qualifying offer in the offseason and could receive draft pick compensation should Morse sign with another club.

If the Bucs grab him at the deadline, that comp pick doesn’t happen.

Most see the Beast as a two win player earning below what a two win player is worth in MLB.   With the comp pick as compensation, doesn’t having some insurance for  Jerry Sands/Gaby Sanchez make sense?  We would think so.

The Pirates aren’t exactly blessed with left handed relievers these days, so it might take Tony Watson to get him which is where we can see Clint Hurdle drawing the line.  But it’s damn hard to believe a southpaw reliever will land the Beast even with all of his red flags like that insane jump in his ground ball rate—which is never good for a power hitter.

But what this comes down to is cash, Nutting doesn’t have nearly seven million for insurance–even though it says here it’s really freaking good insurance, not that cut-rate shit, so we think another team will pull the trigger, perhaps New York or Seattle and reap the benefits that come along with it.

Fangraphs  Some Comps for Michael Morse