http://tinyurl.com/oyrpmjz
12:48pm: The Orioles are sending outfield prospect Xavier Avery to the
Mariners, according to Peter Gammons of the MLB Network (on Twitter).
12:35pm: The Orioles have acquired Mike Morse from the Mariners, according to
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman adds that the Mariners will receive a
prospect in exchange (Twitter links).
Morse, 31, came to the Mariners in a three-team trade that sent John Jaso to
the A's and prospects A.J. Cole, Ian Krol and Blake Treinen to the Nationals.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik had high hopes in re-acquiring Morse after the
right-handed hitter mashed his way to a .296/.345/.516 line with 64 homers in
346 games from 2010-12. However, Morse has been a disappointment in Seattle.
He slugged six homers in the season's first nine games but is now hitting
just .226/.283/.410 with 13 homers overall. He's missed time this season with
a broken pinkie finger as well as a severe quad strain.
Morse is a free agent at season's end, so he is strictly a rental for the
Orioles. He's earning $6.75MM this season, meaning that he has approximately
$1.1MM remaining on his contract. While Morse has experience as a corner
outfielder and first baseman, he's regarded as one of the game's worst
defensive outfielders by both Ultimate Zone Rating and The Fielding Bible.