| By Alex Carson |  | By 11-01-2012 |
The Seattle Mariners' search for offense has extended into the offseason with several candidates, both from the shallow crop of available free agents and the trade market, serving as possibilities. There are always reasons why deals are possible and why they won't happen. Some players fit, some don't. Among those that do, a few may fit better than others. The trade and financial costs are also major factors. Here, we'll dig into those factors, as well as analyze the potential impact of the player in question.
Here are the targets we've discussed thus far:
Shin-Soo Choo
Brett Lawrie
Nick Swisher
Grady Sizemore
Justin Morneau
Billy Butler
Edwin Jackson
Next up is Logan Morrison of the Miami Marlins:
What Logan Morrison brings
Logan Morrison is more than a provocative participant on Twitter, and while things like chemistry, character and other intangibles are valued by most clubs, teams are interested in adding production to their organizations.
Morrison, 25, isn't eligible for arbitration until 2014 and is under club control through 2016.
While he hasn't developed the way the Miami Marlins had hoped after a promising rookie campaign that saw him put up a triple slash of .283/.390/.447, Morrison still has room to grow, perhaps into the above-average regular first baseman most thought he'd be as he came up through the minors.
While his walk rate is down from his 2010 season, his strikeout rate is flat and his power numbers have actually improved, perhaps the product of a fly-ball percentage that has jumped 8.5-percent. His BABIP has suffered a steep drop, from .351 in 2010 all the way down to .248 this past season, explaining some of the deficiencies in his numbers.
Morrison brings a bit of versatility with him, able to play in the outfield and at first base, though he's merely passable, at best, off of his natural position. The Mariners could utilize a guy like this, playing him in left on occasion and shifting Michael Saunders to center on days that Franklin Gutierrez sits or needs a rest, or when the offense needs a little more of a boost. In this alignment, John Jaso or perhaps Jesus Montero can play first while the other catches or serves as the designated hitter.
Contract
Morrison will make near the league minimum until 2014, at which point his salary will increase via arbitration. He hasn't performed well enough to warrant the buying out of his arbitration years yet, so he should remain a bargain until he qualifies.
Should the Mariners acquire him, they'd be in a better position than the traditionally frugal Marlins to give him his arbitration dollars -- and, perhaps, subsequent free-agent raises. The Marlins do have a new ballpark and went on a spending frenzy last winter, but it's apparent they will tone down a bit after their 2012 season ended in debacle.
Trade Cost
Miami doesn't need to move Morrison at this stage. In fact, doing so would be selling extremely low. To get Morrison, the Marlins would likely ask the Mariners to fill some of those needs, at which point GM Jack Zduriencik is likely to back off in any discussion that may take place, since it's unlikely that secondary arms such as Erasmo Ramirez and Brandon Maurer could fetch Morrison.
Why would Miami?
While it would create a new need, the Marlins have serious holes in their roster that need to be addressed. They have needs in their bullpen and the outfield as well as third base and second base. They could also decide to part ways with ace Josh Johnson, requiring the need to find an arm or two for the future of the rotation.
If they could plug two holes for one, they may be willing to move Morrison, even if the total value shift is flat.
Why would Seattle?
The Mariners obviously need offense, and first base is among the areas the club could use an upgrade. With the performance issues hanging over Justin Smoak and Mike Carp, Morrison could serve as a better bet to perform at the plate.
Being young and cheap for several more seasons would allow the team to spend elsewhere while still adding something more than a scrap-heap reclamation project.
Conclusion
This isn't a move likely to happen, as no trade is truly "likely." Morrison showed too much in the minors and in his rookie season for the Marlins to give up on him while he still makes the league minimum and fills a need for them.
From the Mariners standpoint, his performance and season ending knee injury may prevent them from offering anything of significance. If this were a play the club wanted to make, it would be more likely to happen mid-season or next winter after Morrison has had a chance to show improvement in his health and production. At that point, perhaps Morrison's value warrants a price the Marlins view enticing enough to pull the trigger.
offseason-target:-logan-morrison
Comments
The following 7 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: Edman on 11-01-2012 11:07:23 More not likely things to happen. I'm sure whatever Jack does, it will be a surprise to us all. |
| 2. By: maqman on 11-01-2012 12:12:37 I'd pass on this one, the shine went off of him this season and we don't need any more reclamation projects than we already have. |
| 3. By: sexymarinersfan on 11-01-2012 12:21:45 Agreed. If the Mariners want to add depth at 1B, it should AT LEAST be a proven bat with MLB success. LaRoche would make more sense to me, however I believe that his asking price will be too high for where we are willing to go. I have a feeling Mike Morse might be the next discussion coming up on this site. |
| 4. By: Edman on 11-01-2012 13:08:24 LaRoche is coming of a career year. A bad time to overpay. Keep in mind, this may not be the year to make wholesale changes. I'm more than willing to let Smoak prove himself with the changes in Safeco. It clearly affected him mentally last season. I could go one more year to find out. The place to improve in in one of the corner outfield positions. That would be my primary choice to add a bat. Seattle does not have a lot of outfield depth in the minor league system, yet. But, it's on its way. |
| 5. By: Shawnuel on 11-01-2012 13:42:36 #4 Totally agree. |
| 6. By: Rudolf on 11-01-2012 14:25:49 While I'm far from a LoMo fan, if the risk was low enough I would be very interested. This is the kind of guy who could break out big time with a change of scenery. |
| 7. By: rotoenquire on 11-01-2012 17:11:18 I am of the belief the M's will target guys with buy low sell high potential. If they get lucky and hit on one or two and flip them to get ready for 2014. And then spend on F/A in 2014. Targets that make sense for me. M. Cabrera OF G. Sizemore OF S. Drew SS D. Braden SP F. Liriano SP R. Hernandez SP D. Eveland RP/SP All have had or shown glipses of being something really good at some time. Some lost it do to injury, 5cent head or lost confidence. |
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