 |
USA Today Sports Images Michael Morse became expendable after the Nats re-signed Adam LaRoche. |
The Nationals have sent Michael Morse back to Seattle and are getting A.J. Cole back from Oakland in the process.
Morse was part of a three-team trade involving the Nationals, Athletics and Mariners, with Cole (one of the prospects sent to Oakland in last winter's Gio Gonzalez blockbuster) among the three players acquired by Washington, the club officially announced this evening.
The Nationals received two more players from the A's in addition Cole: minor-league right-hander Blake Treinen and another player to be named. Oakland, meanwhile, receives catcher John Jaso from Seattle.
Thus ends Morse's productive and popular, 3 1/2-year stint with the Nationals. Originally acquired from the Mariners for outfielder Ryan Langerhans in 2009, the slugger burst onto the scene two years later when he took over for an injured Adam LaRoche at first base and led the club with 31 homers, 95 RBI and a .303 batting
Read more
161 comments:
I tweeted Mikey couple weeks ago... "Good Luck in your future endeavours" Love this trade!!
:(
All I can say is ALR better rake this year.
More in return FOR Cole, or "more than Cole in return for Morse"?
I think Rizzo liked Cole, glad we got him back, hopefully he flourishes under our system like he did two years ago, still 21, waiting on judgement until we know the "good" prospect (fingers crossed for Zunino lol) curious what FG has to say about the trade, because they severally critized Morse and his value.
@kevin, we got Cole a "good" prospect, and a PTBNL
Wow! Things happening fast and furious. I like the sound of getting AJ Cole back. but what else are we getting?
Well, sad to see him go but as Det said, good it's in the other league. Also glad he'll have a chance to start and not be stuck on the bench. And even though he won't be with a contender it's only for one year so he'll get his chance to choose his team in a year.
I guess this means he's scratched from the Natsfest player list.
Good bye Michael Morse. Thank you for giving us so much to cheer for during your time here in DC. We will miss you and wish you all the best.
Well what im thinking here is that with both Rizzo and Beane being as savvy as they are we got a good deal and the A's got a good deal, while screwing over the M's in the process, thoughts? Rizzo probably made Beane cough up a little more then he wanted too (i hope)
As Needham put it they've basically traded away the value they picked up when they signed Soriano.
The Nats might end up with Peacock and Freitas back as well? Who knows?
Maybe Derrick Norris? Nah ...
Thank you, Mikey Mo, for helping to make the Nats a winner. Best of luck with Seattle next year!
I am both sad and apprehensive now that we won't have Mikey to count on. I agree with you Feel Wood...ALR better rake.
I wonder if the Nats could've promised some consideration for the As down the road. There's now been a couple of transactions between the Nats and the As the last 14 months; there seems to be a working arrangement; and a backup catcher doesn't seem like enough in this for the As.
MIkey Mo leaves and we're back with great defense, pitching but with very questionable power hitting from the middle of the lineup. Harper, Desmond, Espinosa, Moore have to step up. Zim and LaRoche need to put up good numbers and remain healthy. And Werth is the big question mark again.
Hope Mikey stays healthy, and RAKES!!! Beast of Luck to Ya... ;-)
I'll bet Cole feels great, to know that we wanted him back, after he struggled a little, last year. I like it!
Nice! Good luck Mr. Morse, welcome back Mr. Cole. Best 25 go North!!
Dave Cameron is not a happy camper with this trade
The PTBNL and the prospect are they coming from Seattle or Oakland?
there seems to be a working arrangement; and a backup catcher doesn't seem like enough in this for the As.
John Jaso is the starter. Derrick Norris is now the backup unless he gets sent to the Mariners as the other player they are due. The Mariners do need a catcher.
MicheleS can i get a link, i just saw his article about why Jaso is an amazing player
Yea, Billy Beane is now cornering the market on catchers.
@The Fox
I believe from Oakland
Fox both are from the A's
Peric, The M's have Zunino who will come up in June and will take over the startign role i assume.
Teddy: Twitter reaction is part of this @DCameronFG and this
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/some-comps-for-mike-morse/
A healthy Zim, no innings limit, span, Haren, Soriano, ALR back- and we thought we were going into the off season not needing much......
Muddy... Apparently, the Seattle fans are howling, over loosing that "backup catcher"....
Thanks, the Mariners had a few LH relievers I was eying. I could never guess what Billy Beane might consider a prospect?
MM for Cole and PTBNL? Not good....not at all. We basically got nothing for an established 25-90 major leaguer
Peric, The M's have Zunino who will come up in June and will take over the startign role i assume.
Unless they plan on using Montero as the backstop and he too is more of a DH. That's all Seattle has are DH part-time players like Montero, Ibanez, Bay, Morales ... no real major league catcher at this point.
And you can't just go with the prospect who might be ready?
Rizzo did Michael a great favor by getting this deal done quickly and ending the agony. Given that everyone knew we had to make the deal, it sounds like we did alright.
I'll miss Michael and singing Take On Me -- It would be great if someone like Ian adopted the song.
MM for Cole and PTBNL?
Michael Morse, a "good prospect", and a player (prospect) to be named later.
Three prospects ... but its what they really needed if they weren't going to use MikeyMo. Its sad ... but the farm needed replenishment even if what you say value-wise is true.
No tweets from the DC Beast ... I don't think he is any happier than we are.
Good luck and happy gorse-hacking to Morse.
Muddy... Apparently, the Seattle fans are howling, over loosing that "backup catcher"....
Starting catcher ... Montero is not a major league catcher.
I pretty much knew it was coming, but I'm really bummed to see Michael depart.
A very sad day indeed at least for me.
If Rizzo didn't get at least one other top prospect in this deal, this might go down as one of the dumbest trades in the history of this team.
BigCat said...
MM for Cole and PTBNL? Not good....not at all. We basically got nothing for an established 25-90 major leaguer
January 16, 2013 7:38 PM
I agree, but since Mike becomes a FA at the end of the year, I guess we couldn't get more for him.
Terrible trade.
RHP AJ Cole, RHP Blake Treinen and a player to be named from Oakland in exchange for Michael Morse.
Anyone who thinks we won or lost this trade without knowing who the other two players are should have their posts deleted
Well, at least Morse will be reunited with his pal Ichiro. Oh, wait. Never mind. Dang business, and all that.
Who is Blake Treinan? He is in the deal?
Blake Treinan, you sure peric, i know you have been able to post accurate information up before it gets up. Thanks how does he look not that im not looking him up right now lol
Kotteras got DFA'd out of Oakland
SC... Hear, Hear!!!
Trienen's fast ball clocked as high as 97 but there were shoulder concerns but the Marlins ...
Blake Trienen RHP
Well, at least Morse will be reunited with his pal Ichiro.
He's a Yankee now.
Coles numbers at high A last season.......http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=cole--001aj-&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.typepad.com
The Nats replenished their farm system with at least two power arms at the A+ or below level. AJ Cole exclusively a stater and Blake Trienen straddling the two roles. Cole a rookie starting in 2010. Trienen in 2011. Both spent time in A+ ball this past season.
Bummed
ExposedinDC,
This is a family site you can't post anything that obscene here ;-).
I get so attached to our guys and always have trouble accepting the new guys. Things are so much more cold and all- business now. I know it's necessary but it 's hard. I felt awful when Dunn left and I know that was for the best. This will be also. I will miss LannEn, Flo and the Beast. Burnett, too. Maybe not Gorzelanny- never got attached to him. Rizzo has ice water in his veins.
I'm a bit confused about Oakland making this deal. They give up two live arms and get a marginal catcher??
Lerner needs to step in and ban Rizzo from making trades with Billy Beane. The return on this one is even worse than what we got for Willingham...
This is funny:
Ross Detwiler@NationalDet
Congrats to @Dc_BEAST38. Good luck in Seattle. Wish you didn't have to go but glad it's in the other league so I don't have to face you
Tommy Milone@TommyMilone_57
@NationalDet @Dc_BEAST38 ya but now I have to!
Going to miss him for sure. Numbers game victim. Good luck to Mike. Hope his year pays off in a big contract for him, a team player, he deserves it.
Lerner needs to step in and ban Rizzo from making trades with Billy Beane. The return on this one is even worse than what we got for Willingham...
Not seeing a big upside for Oakland here, what exactly am I missing ?
Grandstander
That Gio trade and the Suzuki trade looks like they worked out pretty good if you ask me.
Grandstander? WHy do you say that? Cole is a plus prospect. the other guy is okay and we still don't know who the PTBNL is
Not seeing a big upside for Oakland here, what exactly am I missing ?
Left-handed hitting starting catcher with a .394 OBP? Last season Norris finished batting .201 in the majors.
Um, peric, you whiffed there, on my Ichiro comment.
AND more from DET:
Ross Detwiler@NationalDet
@TommyMilone_57 @dc_beast38 my only advice. Keep the ball down?.....Just hope no one is on base
Um, peric, you whiffed there, on my Ichiro comment.
How? He is with the Yankees? #31 in pinstripes Ichiro Suzuki?
One last time for you MM...
"Taaake on meee, take me on. I'll be gooone. In a day or two."
LaRoche blowing off NatsFest. Getting a great start on the complacency of the first year of a big new deal. Hey, how bad can he be? His predecessor Adam Dunn has set the bar very low for him. He can phone it in all year and still be better than that.
Meanwhile, another team gets The Walk Year of The Beast. Enjoy the beef, Davey. It might be the best taste you get all year.
Good point, just wondering how many catchers can one guy acquire, I believe they still have a kid named Max Stassi in high A, they once thought was their catcher of the future
Yeah, basically read my entire post. The "nevermind" etc. I made the Ichiro comment in jest.
If you thought someone missed something so obvious in one of your posts, your venom would be forthcoming.
Nate Karns had the best comment: #What.
If you thought someone missed something so obvious in one of your posts, your venom would be forthcoming.
Oh .. I didn't miss it ... just musing ... if he had landed with the Yankees he might have been reunited with the guy who gave him his humidor. It is kidn of sad ... Mikey is currently speechless which isn't like him.
AJ Cole was 0-7 with a 7.82 ERA in Single-A last year and had to be demoted...Morse was one of the best 2 hitters on a 98-win MLB team. This is not a good deal.
sm13 said...
I'm a bit confused about Oakland making this deal. They give up two live arms and get a marginal catcher??
January 16, 2013 7:59 PM
Grandstander said...
Lerner needs to step in and ban Rizzo from making trades with Billy Beane. The return on this one is even worse than what we got for Willingham...
January 16, 2013 8:00 PM
----------------
STOP THE MADNESS!!!!!! The only idiocy is grading out this move, before 2015...
(ohmyGAWD!)
Sickels labeled Blake Treinen as having "sleeper potential", and Cole was ranked as the third best prospect in the A's system (ahead of Sonny Gray, Dan Straily, Brad Peacock, etc.)
Billy Beane already had Donaldson and Kottaras as catchers he picked up Norris and Freitas from the Nationals. He needed one more additional catcher because, (and this is a little known fact), if you have 5 catchers, that's considered a "full house" and you get a free car wash in Oakland.
I'm not talking about one free car wash either you get one every week for the whole season. That is why he had to have John Jaso from Seattle.
As from Avatar, this is very Sad
Fox.... LOL!!!
I trust Rizzo so I must be missing something.
Cole failed at High A Sockton.
24 year old Treinen was only mediocre at Stockton.
Maybe the PTBNL is the key.
Let's Play Two!
I think I'll take a que from NatsJack and sit back and watch how things unfold. No use getting all worked up until I see how things settle out. In Rizzo I trust.
Mikey is on a conference call with the Mariners beat writers. From the re-tweets we are seeing, he is being his usual humorous self. Wants to play SS
Sickels labeled Blake Treinen as having "sleeper potential",
He's also another power arm for Luke Erickson's M*A*S*H list. He had arm problems last year. In 2010 he didn't get signed by the Marlins due to inflammation in his shoulder they detected on a CT-Scan.
The Nats specialize in this ... still ...
And, with six, YOU GET EGGROLL!!!
Adam LaRoche is blowing off NatsFest to stay at home and count his money. Meanwhile, would anyone be surprised if Michael Morse still shows up to say goodbye to the fans?
Feel Wood, WOW, just a bit bitter. We have no idea if ALR has commitments or not? Why not at Davey? He is the manager, Why isn't he coming?
Unkyd - lmao
Feel Wood, WOW, just a bit bitter.
In this case its hard not to agree with him. I am hoping the PTBNL is better than we think he is.
LaRoche is 2 years and gone and then there's Anthony Rendon. Hopefully Werth becomes a bench bat by then as well and they have some young power bats in the lineup.
UnkyD,
Glad you liked it. It does seem that if Rizzo is making a trade with Beane a catcher must be involved. So the next trade we make either Beane or Rizzo should get an eggroll.
Cole failed at High A Sockton.
24 year old Treinen was only mediocre at Stockton.
Cole is also 21 now while Treinen is 24. They've been trying Trienen as a starter. He doesn't look bad with a 95-97 mph fb. Its the injury situation that is a concern.
LaRoche is probably thinking "No way they'll boo me like they did in Pittsburgh if I start a bit slow." Complacency sets in. He could find himself very surprised.
And the Mariner's bloggers are losing their minds. Geesh. everyone must overrate their players!
http://www.ussmariner.com/2013/01/16/the-fundamental-flaw/
I was just watching the clip of the crowd singing loudly while the beast got a hit in the playoff game. Getting a bit misty. Guess he will be changing his twitter name now. I hope he has a good year and gets a nice contract next year. Tommy Milone is terrified, by the way. I am sure some other pitchers won't sleep well, either. Won't he be facing Burnett now??? Changes, changes.
Feel, I promise you this, I will drown out your boo's for ALR. I think it has been established that you don't boo your own guys.
I wish the best to the Beast and hope he shuts up that baldy over at ussmariner with his performance for seasons to come. I am sorry but I find him annoying.
Let's see: Cole had a 4:1 K/BB ratio in Hagerstown in 2011 as a 19-year old. Dominated low A in the Oakland system as a 20-year old and moved to high A (though he got hammered). Starts this year at Potomac and maybe moves up to Harrisburg at the end of the season. Splits 2014 at Harrisburg and Syracuse. Moves up to the big club in 2015 as a 23-year old. Sounds pretty good to me.
The named pitcher from Oakland profiles like Erik Davis, only better. It will be interesting to see how the PTBNL is. Is it possible that it's a draftee who's not eligible to be traded yet? Or just some Class A scrubini.
Jaso is a great grab for Oakland. Apart from Norris's .201 average, a LH-hitting catcher is a great find. I don't think there's been a good one in the majors since Darrell Porter (?). (I think he was LH.)
Seattle has a up-and-comer who's timed to move Montero to DH this year.
Thanks to Peric for the link regarding the Oakland pitcher.
Faraz, I agree, the Mariner's LOVE them some Jaso so they are ticked off. Appparanlty they aren't the only fan base that falls in love with their prospects
If you want to boo your own players you can do so in Philly and have lots of company.
And, I expect ALR to have another good, consistent year like 2012, so this won't be an issue.
SJM308, I know you are sad.. I added a beer to your list at Justin's
Someone needs to explain to Seattle's GM that even tho the AL has a DH rule not all his players have to be able to play DH.
I'm guessing that right now he wishes, maybe I shouldn't have signed Raul Ibanez.
Feel, I promise you this, I will drown out your boo's for ALR. I think it has been established that you don't boo your own guys.
Except for Danny Espinosa. And believe me if the Mariners had trade for him instead the USS Mariner guy would be doing cartwheels all over the Internet.
People never realize what they actually have ...
Morse is a better player for the Nats than he is for the Mariners. That much is true. Its just how the rosters are constructed. The Mariners have aging or young lumbering power hitters oozing out of every crack. The Nats have real multi-dimensional athletes capable of defense and offense. But they have a weakness in that their power bats after Morse are average ... now one might not say that about Zim were he not injured the past three seasons. LaRoche's season might have been a career year never to be repeated given his age. Werth is on the downward spiral. ]
Morse's true weakness was his propensity to get injured when needed most. And the Mariners inherit that as well.
Until Harper, Espinosa, Desmond, Ramos, and Desmond develop into consistent power bats ... and Zim stays healthy they will have a hard time replacing Morse. Unless Tyler Moore steps up and takes Adam LaRoche's job away. And then there's Brown, Skole, Goodwin, and Rendon who all could develop major league power.
But no one is the consistent ever present threat that Morse was. And instead of a .230 to .270 hitter he could hit .300 and manage a decent OBP and an average OPS of .857. But the defense just wasn't what the Nats expected. And so ... Natslady's very early prediction comes to pass.
I hope Michael notices the vast number of comments as he leaves. I spent some writing on some Seattle boards, saying they will love the guy. I know he was my family's favorite player. He signed my 16-year-old daughter's Beast Mode shirt at Potomac last season, and she now says she is going to abandon the Nats. The team will win her back, but we are going to be rooting for the Mariners this year.
Don't take "Take On Me" with you to Seattle, Michael. It needs to be Washington's "Sweet Caroline" in the 7th inning from now on.
+1/2St.
Yes we think more highly of our players than others. This is from an SI article on most sought after player.
It is a profound testimony to how thinly spread quality talent has become in baseball -- particularly middle-of-the-order power hitters -- that all of sudden the most sought-after player this winter is Michael Morse, the hulking, injury-prone, defensively challenged 30-year-old Washington Nationals slugger whose propensity for striking out far exceeds his willingness to take a walk. There is no question Morse is a legitimate power hitter, but as with so many power hitters today, with the home runs you have to live with the strikeouts. They're a little easier to live with if you're, say, Adam Dunn, whose major league-leading 222 strikeouts last season were at least offset somewhat by his 105 walks, which also led the majors. In Morse's case, however, he walked only 16 times last year, as opposed to striking out 97 times, for a 6.1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio that was the worst in the majors for players with 400 or more plate appearances, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
This was one of Rizzo's best moves of the year. To get a prospect of Cole's value for a someone who is a spare part is tremendous.
Natsnut -- I see your point. But, it really was the only signature moment at Nats Park. FP suggests using it as the 7th inning stretch song.
Best to the beast!
Michele, I am thinking of another West coast trip to see Jaso (who is good against RHP) beat Ms pitching either in OAK or SEA.
I think the real beneficiary from this trade is OAK. Not only they weaken division rival, but also fill their immediate need. A Norris/Jaso platoon will be seen in Coliseum I suppose.
Morse will be trade by Seattle at the trading deadline in July so maybe Rizzo can get him back for Chris Marrero or a poor fielding good hitting catcher. Seattle seems to never get enough of these players.
A Norris/Jaso platoon will be seen in Coliseum I suppose.
Jaso had what many consider a career year at the plate last season. He has always been an above average defensive catcher even with his weak arm. While Derrick Norris is still mastering his trade as a backstop.
Jaso will start and Norris will be his understudy just as he briefly did with Suzuki. Suzuki, their FOF, was just too expensive for the A's and so does his thing for the Nats. While Jaso bats left-handed and is cheap.
In Morse's case, however, he walked only 16 times last year, as opposed to striking out 97 times, for a 6.1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio that was the worst in the majors for players with 400 or more plate appearances, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
He had his injuries just like Adam LaRoche djinFL. What did Morse look like in 2011? And what did Adam LaRoche look like in 2011? If you take 2011 and 2012 and compare the two Morse assuredly comes out on top over Adam LaRoche which of course is why Rizzo refused to cave to LaRoche and give him 3 years guaranteed. The only difference is the left-handed bat and the fielding. But at first base Morse doesn't affect the defense negatively as much as in the outfield and over time he might have produced a positive there as well.
Peric, I think Jaso has been a good hitter against RHP over his career but never had a chance to prove himself on consistent basis. Something like Morse I would think, until he came to Nats.
Peric, I think Jaso has been a good hitter against RHP over his career but never had a chance to prove himself on consistent basis. Something like Morse I would think, until he came to Nats.
I think you meant to say LHP there Faraz. Jaso was needed by the A's they really don't have anything after Norris at this point. And Freitas is an offensive catcher not a defensive one. He'll assuredly start. The thing with him is he is still young and still extremely cheap. And he is good offensively and defensively.
I'll miss Michael Morse. That said, the writing was on the wall with the Denard Span acquisition and with ALR re-signing. Most of us assumed that the big galoot was going to be gone the day ALR came back. Then some of us hoped unrealistically that Mikey could either be a platoon player, or a high priced bench player. It was never going to happen. The way Rizzo contructed this team presently, there not only was no place for Morse to play, nor would there have been a place for an established player acquired in a trade, unless it had been a LHR. Instead we got good prospects for him.Stupid trade? If you think so, I won't change your mind, but at this point, I don't agree.This ML roster is stacked folks. Tyler Moore will be the platoon/bench guy, which ain't half bad. The team will have a different style of offense, but I believe it will be a better team then last year. Fasten your seatbelts! Best of luck , Michael. We'll miss you. GYFNG!!!
Good luck, big Mike. Seattle is bringing their fences in, so maybe you can hit 40 for them.
Welcome back, AJ. Losing him was the main beef I had with the Gio trade, and Rizzo has remedied that nitpick.
Fasten your seatbelts indeed. This off season, which we thought was going to be quiet, had been ridiculous!!! Still trying to wrap my head around all if it.
Beast is posting on twitter.. It's getting dusty in my house.
Well, I am not happy. Still, I was realistic that what I was hoping for had very little chance of coming to fruition. It was fun to hope for something like Morse staying.
Thanks Michelle I can't wait for Justin's and I think there are other places opening up nearby as well.
Feel, you are amazing. You give me a million reasons it won't work to keep Morse and then you go all negative on LaRoche when Morse is traded. Not sure I understand your philosophy except you are probably still upset that your "100% LaRoche is not signing" did not work.
I will say that this is exactly the kind of trade I did not want to see for Morse. Maybe I am overvaluing our player but the two prospects we do know about did not have success last year in the low minors. Morse has the potential to hit 30 HR and drive in 100 this year. Guess this is another opportunity for me to trust in Rizzo.
Like Michelle, I will not boo any of our lads. I might get upset with Davey or HRod or Espinosa or any of them but I will not boo. I still remember opening day when the philly idiots drowned out Ryan Zimmerman getting the silver slugger with boos. Just not in my dna to boo.
OK, my closing is now a little shorter
Go Nats!! World Series or Bust!! (good luck Mikey)
So overall this works out to be Gio and Suzuki for Morse, Norris, Peacock, Milone and Freitas.
I make that trade.
Michele - must be something contagious.
on a happier note, i am watching the Giants 2012 WS film on MLB Network. they are crushing the Cards right now. makes me happy
Ditto on that one, too. 2013, Michele, 2013.
Swami.. right there with you. 2013. 2013. 2013. God I can't wait to got to Viera.
The only time I have booed anything to do with the Nats was when Jim Riggleman would pull Michael Morse after he'd gone 2-3, or 3-3 in a game. I'll never get over the way Jim managed Mikey Mo.
"they are crushing the Cards right now. makes me happy"
Gotta record that one!
All Morse fans should recognize that Mike is far better off in Seattle, where he will start and play every day that he is not injured. He would likely have spent most of his time on the bench in DC this summer.
He can have his big season in Seattle, and if he wants to move on, after that, it will be his choice and on terms acceptable to him. Rizzo did the right thing by Mike in sending him to a place where he is needed and wanted. The first time he hits one of those moon shots, the fans will love him there, too.
I am happy for Mike.
What Laddie Said
Yeah, what you guys said. Anyone else emotionally drained from yesterday and today? And this is the off season? Drew or Clip going next??
Good luck, Michael!
I'll tell you one thing: for a team that won 98 games a year ago we sure have made a lot of changes. More then I would ever have thought!
Swami, NOOOOO, I don't think Nats fans can take any more at this point
Making Take On Me the 7th inning song instead of that Tom Jones thing works for me. Glad FP is taking up the cause.
Replenishing the starting pitching pipeline with a Morse trade is what I predicted Rizzo would do, but I kind of hoped we'd get two starter prospects rather than one. The other guy projects as a reliever says Mark. Cole always seemed like the most valuable piece of the Gio trade, so I'm glad to have him back. Hopefully last year was just a glitch for him.
Langerhans for Morse was one of Rizzo's all time best trades. He was a great player for us, once Riggleman was forced by ALR's injury to play him every day. I'm sorry he won't be around to get a ring.
djinFL - that Sports Illustrated article helps me understand this a little better - thank you for that.
I think Moore can make the faithful take this departure more easily if he steps up just a little. While I would have loved to keep Morse I'm also happy Moore will get his chance to step up. Good luck in Seattle to MM. Hope he has a monster season and gets his payday. And I hope the ptbnl is significant.
Michele- All these changes are stressing me out.
Crying here. I wish him only the best. I will not boo ALR (or Denard Span, regardless of his nutty remarks about the Sandy Hook shootings), nor for any Nat. I will genuinely mis Michael, and so will that clubhouse. It's going to be a lot less fun and light.
There IS crying in baseball.
Feel, you are amazing. You give me a million reasons it won't work to keep Morse and then you go all negative on LaRoche when Morse is traded. Not sure I understand your philosophy except you are probably still upset that your "100% LaRoche is not signing" did not work.
I have said all along that the choice was Morse or LaRoche, that there was no way Rizzo could keep both of them. And I have said all along that Morse would have been the best choice of the two. He is going to have a monster walk year, while LaRoche just had his walk year last season and will now likely become complacent and underperform as so many players do after they get the big contract. There's nothing inconsistent or unrealistic about any of that. Thinking that there was any way they'd keep Morse after re-signing LaRoche was unrealistic, and I said as much.
And if Drew or Clip go, I'll need to be hospitalized.
Seriously- the gloves are off. Rizzo is on the prowl. My feelings are all over the place. I know things are at the point where there can be no sentiment involved. Just hoping the new guys mesh.
Gonna miss old Mikey Mo. But I'm still feeling very good about our team this year and next--apparently unlike a few folks here.
The Deadspin link that Mark tweeted has the crowd singing Take on Me during the 8th inning of Game, and also links to the video of Morse's phantom grand slam. In honor of Mickey Morse, I watched both and enjoyed them thoroughly. Here's a great comment on that site about the phantom grand slam:
"He should have acted it out way better than that...... Complete with the Babe Ruth finger point to call his shot, followed by waving the imaginary ball fair ala Carlton Fisk and finally jumping down the 1st baseline like Joe Carter. "
Don't feel sorry for Michael Morse as he's not feeling at all sorry for himself:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ap-source-morse-headed-seattle-003635497--mlb.html
Wonder if the ptbnl can't be announced because he's a first year player
Godspeed Mickey Mo. We will always love you. Thanks for the laughs, the big hits and the memories.
Morse should be happy in Seattle he will look like a gold glove OF'r compared to Bay and Ibanez. I think Seattle is trying to crate the first all DH team. They basically now have no catcher. Can't we swindle king Felix from them.
I have mixed feelings on this. I really liked Morse
@Joe He's going to say positive things about going to the Mariners...he's not gonna be unenthusiastic and bash the team he's going to play for! But I think if it was up to Morse, he'd wanna stay in DC for a long time. He will be missed! Best of luck Beast!
So is the Nats 2013 roster set, or are there more trades on the way?
Mick I think everyone did but I don't know if the team is worse without him. The true test will be in clubhouse chemistry and Morse was well liked.
Here is Keith Law's take on the trade,
"The Nats came out way ahead, the A's made a modest gain, and the M's leave me scratching my head at why they'd ask for change for a five-dollar bill and be happy with three singles."
mick, only the shadow knows (and Rizzo)
I keep thinking about all the big hits Mike Morse delivered for the Nats over the last 2 years and wondering who will do so in the future. Span will need to add a lot to compensate for Mike. fingers crossed ... and best wishes to Mike.
Fox, I like Kieth Law's take. I hope he's right. I do wish Michael all the best and hope he has a monster year for Seattle.
I'm sorry to see Mikey go, but I am thrilled to have A.J. Cole back in the fold. The Nats needed to restock their minor league pitching and they got a hard-throwing youngster with upside.
I'm not dissuaded by Cole's flameout in high-A. I think they promoted him before he was ready. Spin Williams will do wonders.
Adding Cole to Giolito, Karns, Solis and Purke makes me feel a lot better about the Nats' pitching prospects.
That said, best wishes to the Beast. Thanks for the phantom slam and for playing with such infectious joy.
Glad to read that Morse is happy and excited about the trade. Seattle is a great place to be for nine months out of the year, and Morse will have plenty of money to escape the winters. I feel for him leaving a team that is headed for the playoffs and joining a cellar dweller, but we were a cellar dweller when he came here and he helped lift us to where we are now. So maybe he can anchor a Mariner renaissance.
Is he related to Hugh Jaso?
Good trade.. I was bummed when we lost trade. Nice to get one of our over slot guys back now that we can go there anymore?
Lost Cole that is....
It's the way he helped lift us from a cellar dweller to a contender that makes me so sad, 222. And like Muddy, I remember those two hits. I need to stop thinking about this.
I feel your pain. Always smiling- clubhouses need that.
I'll be cheering along with you, Michele.
MicheleS said...
Feel, I promise you this, I will drown out your boo's for ALR. I think it has been established that you don't boo your own guys.
January 16, 2013 8:37 PM
They forgot limping like Gibson.
Section 222 said...
The Deadspin link that Mark tweeted has the crowd singing Take on Me during the 8th inning of Game, and also links to the video of Morse's phantom grand slam. In honor of Mickey Morse, I watched both and enjoyed them thoroughly. Here's a great comment on that site about the phantom grand slam:
"He should have acted it out way better than that...... Complete with the Babe Ruth finger point to call his shot, followed by waving the imaginary ball fair ala Carlton Fisk and finally jumping down the 1st baseline like Joe Carter. "
January 16, 2013 10:27 PM
Same here. First time I cried over a player transaction was when they sold Jamey Carroll. I told my husband then they'd never make me do so again. Okay, so I may have gotten a little misty over baseball a time or two since then. But for whatever reason, it didn't happen this time. Yeah, I enjoyed his hijinks and dingers but he never captured that special player place in my heart. Or maybe I closed that place up in self-defense after other beloved players left. Last, I'm not even an armchair GM but trading Morse (with one season to go before free agency) for a couple of prospects and a PTBNL does not seem horrible to me.
Dave said...
Gonna miss old Mikey Mo. But I'm still feeling very good about our team this year and next--apparently unlike a few folks here.
January 16, 2013 10:24 PM
Post a Comment