The Washington Nationals Send Mike Morse Back To Seattle

The next domino fell… Wednesday evening the Washington Nationals traded fan favorite outfielder/first baseman Mike Morse back to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for right-handed pitching prospects AJ Cole and Blake Treinen and a Player To Be Named Later from the Oakland Athletics, who receive catcher John Jaso from Seattle to complete the 3-team trade.  In this trade, Morse returns to the city he spent the first four years of his major league career before coming to Washington for outfielder Ryan Langerhans in June 2009. Morse arrived in Washington with the reputation as a light slugging infielder looking for a position and leaves four years later as one of the most feared right-handed power hitters in the National League and the nickname Beast Mode.

Unfortunately ever since Adam LaRoche re-signed with the Nationals last week and Denard Span was acquired earlier this offseason, Morse has appeared to be in a numbers crunch in the lineup and it was widely assumed he would be traded prior to Opening Day.  Morse, 31-years-old in March, batted .291/.321/.470 with 18 home runs and 62 runs batted in over 406 at-bats in 2012 as he battled injuries the majority of the season. For his 8-year career, Morse is a .295/.347/.492 hitter with 70 home runs and 245 runs batted in spanning 1,546 total at-bats, and is scheduled to earn $6.75 million dollars in 2013 before becoming a free agent next winter.  Seattle has been rumored and linked to most every power hitter since the end of the season and now Morse finds himself returning to pair with Jesus Montero and Kendry Morales in the middle of their revamped Seattle lineup.

In return, the Nationals are re-acquiring RHP AJ Cole, a key prospect in the Gio Gonzalez trade last offseason with Oakland, and the Nationals 4th round pick in the 2010 draft, who spurned a scholarship to the University of Miami to sign with Washington for a $2 million dollar signing bonus.  21-years-old last week (Happy Birthday!), Cole has a lean, wiry 6-4 frame, a blazing fastball and a powerful slider, but his changeup is below-average and needs refinement.  Cole struggled mightily last season in his promotion to High-A Stockton (the California League is a notorious hitters league), posting a 7.82 ERA and 60 hits allowed in only 38 innings pitched and was demoted back to Low-A where he again succeeded with a 2.07 ERA and 78 hits allowed and 102 strikeouts in 95.2 innings pitched.  As I wrote of Cole when we examined the Gio Gonzalez trade last winter “He has long been one of my favorites in his draft class and as a Nationals prospect, and I fear he will make the Nationals regret this trade in the future.”  Cole should again attempt High-A in 2013 and with polish and improvement from his changeup, could arrive in Washington with mid-rotation starter potential in a few seasons.

Blake Treinen, 24-years-old, was the Athletics 7th Round pick in the 2011 draft, and posted a 4.37 ERA and 92 strikeouts against 116 hits and 23 walks in 103 innings pitched in 2012 at High-A and in his two pro seasons, he has a 4.13 ERA, a 4.13 K/BB ratio, and a 1.278 WHIP in 133 innings pitched.  Oakland shifted Treinen to the bullpen later in this past season and in 13 innings pitched, he struck out 14 hitters while allowing only 11 hits and 4 walks.  Treinen has a good fastball, an above-average slider, impeccable command and control of the strike zone, and the ability to avoid home runs (only 12 allowed in 133 innings) which is often an excellent recipe for a major league relief pitcher.  Treinen should expect to begin the 2013 season in Double-A Harrisburg’s bullpen, and has the potential to carve out a solid big league career as a reliever.

This is a bittersweet day in NatsTown, because as hard as we try to stay objective about the players on the field, on each team there are a few players you like perhaps more than you should, and for many fans like myself, Mike Morse was one of these guys.  When Morse was acquired on June 29, 2009, the Nationals were 22-52 and headed toward a 59-102 final overall record, were about to fire Manny Acta as manager, and Scott Olsen was the starting pitcher that evening – this was perhaps the bleakest time in the Nationals franchise.  Morse quickly became popular for his personality and trademark wild long hair, but for me and other Nats fans, I found a soft spot for him because he was one of, if not the only, player that took advantage of this opportunity of extended playing time on a depleted roster and absolutely flourished with his chance.  Stuck watching the games each night because we are diehard fans, it was exciting to see a player so under the radar when traded for, evolve into a power hitter who slugged 74 home runs in the past 3 years for the Nationals.
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That said, this trade was strictly a baseball decision, as the Nationals have parted with 4 excellent pitching prospects in the past year to acquire Gio Gonzalez and Denard Span, and needed to take this opportunity to part with a good but flawed player, lacking a position in the lineup with 1-year left on his contract, to attempt to replenish the ailing farm system.  AJ Cole quickly becomes the Nationals #4 prospect behind Anthony Rendon, Lucas Giolito, and Brian Goodwin, and Blake Treinen could thrive now that he has shifted to the bullpen and is a nice arm to add to the farm system.  The fan in us will find it difficult to see Morse in another uniform, but from a baseball perspective, general manager Mike Rizzo should be applauded for receiving 2 solid pitching prospects, along with another prospect, for one season of him before he reaches free agency.  3 prospects is an outstanding haul and I fully support this trade especially because AJ Cole headlines the package – this is the best move the Nationals have made since I started NatsGM.

NatsGM Grade  ->           A

 

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The Washington Nationals Sign Closer Rafael Soriano

In truly stunning fashion Tuesday afternoon, the Washington Nationals agreed to terms with free agent relief pitcher Rafael Soriano to a 2-year contract worth $28 million dollars and the deal also includes a vesting option for 2015 worth $14 million dollars if he finishes 120 games between 2013 and 2014.  Soriano will earn $7 million in both 2013 and 2014, and the remaining $14 million dollars will be made in deferred payments from 2018-2025, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com.  Earlier this winter Soriano opted out of his contract with New York to become a free agent, and the Yankees countered by offering him a 1-year qualifying offer, meaning the Nationals must sacrifice their 2013 1st round draft choice as compensation for signing him as a free agent.

Rafael Soriano, 33-years-old, took over the Yankee closer role in 2012 after Mariano Rivera suffered a season-ending knee injury, and posted a 2.26 ERA and 69 strikeouts against 55 hits and 24 walks allowed while collecting 42 saves in 67.2 innings last season.  For his 11-year major league career, Soriano has a 2.78 ERA, 1.046 WHIP, an outstanding 3.29 K/BB ratio, and 132 saves in 502 total innings pitched.  Particularly impressive, Soriano for his career averages 6.5 hits allowed per 9 innings, gives up only 2.9 BB/9 innings, and has limited right-handed hitters to a .170/.229/.280 career batting line.  Soriano’s repertoire includes a 92-95mph fastball, a truly devastating swing-and-miss 82-84mph slider, and an occasional heavy 93-94mph sinker, which in addition to his averaging 55.7 appearances per year over the last seven years, has established him as one of the best relief pitchers in baseball.

Soriano now enters the Nationals relief corps as the likely closer and will team with Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard to form one of the deepest and most impressive trios of relievers in baseball, and shifts Craig Stammen, Christian Garcia, Ryan Mattheus, and Henry Rodriguez to right-handed middle relief roles.  Not that the Nationals bullpen was an area of concern, but considering Storen is coming off a season in which he had elbow surgery and pitched only 30.1 innings and Clippard had a 5.60 ERA in the 2nd half of the season and has pitched 312 innings the past 4 seasons, adding another reliever to lighten the workload of Clippard and Storen makes a great deal of sense.  Furthermore, the Nationals relief corps pitched the 7th most total innings (515.1 innings) in 2012 and showed signs of fatigue down the stretch in September and October, so signing Rafael Soriano adds excellent depth to the bullpen and noticeably improves the overall roster in their quest to win the World Series in 2013.

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Certainly the distinction must be made that there is no valor in building the best team possible with the smallest amount of money spent, Mike Rizzo’s job is to build the best team he can within the payroll given, while keeping an eye toward the future of the organization.  That said, I hesitate to support this deal more strongly because I first would argue the Nationals front office could have distributed these dollars in a different fashion to improve the team more than the 2-3 wins Soriano will give you over the next two seasons and more importantly, I fear the consequences of forfeiting their 1st round selection next June and thus the likelihood of an underwhelming 2013 draft class and the long-term ramifications of further depleting an already weakened farm system.  Granted the prospects in the 2013 draft do not look especially appetizing at this point, but considering the 2012 class appears somewhat thin aside from 1st round pick Lucas Giolito, who has already undergone Tommy John surgery, taking out the Nationals top pick next June could make it two mediocre draft hauls in a row.  Therefore, while in the short-term this makes the Nats a stronger team, I fear the long-term costs enough that I have qualms about fully supporting this move from the Nationals.

NatsGM Grade –>          C to C-

Are There Any Free Agents Still Available To Improve The Washington Nationals?

As pitchers and catchers now report to Viera less than a month from today, general manager Mike Rizzo and the Nationals front office find themselves with most of their offseason “To-Do List” completed, aside from a potential Mike Morse trade.  That said, there is a surprising amount of talent still available in free agency and while every team could use top free agents Michael Bourn and Kyle Lohse even this late in the offseason if they could afford them, there are several other cheaper options that could bolster the Nationals roster if they can find some additional money within their payroll.  I examined the free agents still available and here are a few interesting names the Nationals should consider adding before flying south to Florida next month.

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Erik Bedard -> At first glance Bedard’s numbers from 2012, a 7-14 record with a 5.01 ERA and 1.472 WHIP in 24 starts, would lead one to believe his injury-riddled career at 33-years-old is finished.  On the other hand, last season Bedard did strike out 118 hitters in 125.2 innings pitched and he held left-handed batters to a .218/.306/.322 batting line, leading me to believe a shift to the bullpen could extend his career another season or two.  Obviously he has flaws and a strong risk of failure, but on a minor league contract, Bedard has a slight chance of becoming a productive left-handed reliever.

Scott Hairston -> Hairston is rumored to be seeking a 2-year contract after hitting .263/.299/.504 in 377 at-bats for the Mets last season and is worthy of more playing time than the Nationals could offer him in 2013.  That said, his ability to punish left-handed pitching (.276/.325/.500 career vs. LHP), his versatility defensively, right-handed bat, and veteran leadership would be extremely beneficial to the Nationals off the bench next season if they could convince him to come to Washington.

Jair Jurrjens -> Struggling through an injury-plagued and nightmare 2012, the 26-year-old Jurrjens posted a 6.89 ERA and 1.862 WHIP in 48.1 innings before a midseason demotion to Triple-A, where he further struggled, eventually forcing the Braves to decline to tender him a contract at the end of the season.  Only one season removed from a 2011 All-Star appearance with a 13-6 record and a 2.96 ERA in 152 innings and an accomplished starter with a 3.69 ERA in 750.1 career innings, Jurrjens could benefit from a change of scenery and on a minor league deal or a major league contract with a small guarantee, could be one of the better value signings of the offseason.
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Jose Valverde -> Last season at 34-years-old, Valverde showed he has lost his closer-type stuff, as his strikeout rate fell to 6.3 per 9 innings and his hit rate increased to 7.7 per 9 innings, leading to a 3.78 ERA in 2012 and a meltdown as the Tigers closer in the playoffs.  Valverde may no longer be a devastating closer, but he only allowed 3 home runs in 69 innings last season, and held right-handed batters to a .193/.270/.246 batting line in 114 at-bats.  With the expectation Tyler Clippard and Craig Stammen will face more left-handed hitters this season due to the loss of Sean Burnett, Mike Gonzalez, and Tom Gorzelanny, Valverde’s effectiveness against right-handed hitters and 277 career saves could be an asset in middle relief for the still-youthful Nationals bullpen.

Javy Vazquez -> Rumored to be throwing 92-95mph down in the Puerto Rican winter league after taking the 2012 season off, Vazquez was still extremely effective in 2011 at 34-years-old with a 13-11 record and a 3.69 ERA in 32 starts and 192.2 innings pitched and was outstanding down the stretch, posting a 1.92 ERA and a 115/19 K/BB ratio over his final 19 starts.  Mike Rizzo has been rumored to be heavily pursuing Vazquez, which runs contrary to his modus operandi of stealth activity, and although the starting rotation seems full right now, his signing would give the Nationals outstanding depth and bolster the Nationals pitching staff overall.  He likely can find a larger paycheck and opportunity elsewhere, so Rizzo and Davey Johnson will need another outstanding recruiting pitch this winter to get the now 36-year-old Vazquez out of retirement and into a Nats uniform.

 

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NatsGM Interview with Christopher Crawford, MLBDraftInsider.com

In an ongoing offseason quest to interview some of the more intriguing individuals within the world of baseball, a few weeks ago I reached out to Christopher Crawford, author of MLBDraftInsider.com and one of the top amateur talent evaluators in the country, and asked if he might share a few minutes with me to discuss the Nationals 2012 draft class and provide a sneak preview of the 2013 MLB Draft.   Christopher started MLBDraftInsider in April 2011, and has been one of the most prominent names in the scouting community for many years.  Two years ago, Christopher joined me for one of the first interviews on this site, and I am grateful he has returned to talk one of my favorite subjects, the major league baseball draft.  Here is the transcript of our interview from a few days ago…

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NatsGM:  “Thank you so much for joining me today.  Before we dive in, I wanted to get your reaction to the new draft rules in the CBA and how it affected the 2012 draft?  In general, what do you think of the new draft rules?”

CC:         “I’m not a fan. Anything that makes it less likely for the best talents to go and play another sport is a bad thing, in my humble estimation.  As far as 2012, it definitely made an impact, and I think Major League Baseball got what it wanted. It’s just too bad that what they wanted doesn’t vibe with what would be best for the sport.”

NatsGM:  “Obviously at NatsGM, we spent a great deal of time discussing the Nationals 2012 draft class… As a draft expert, I am curious of your opinion of the Nationals approach this year and your thoughts on their haul?”

CC:         “I think the Nationals have done a great job in the last few years of accumulating talent through the draft, but I think no team had its draft plans changed more than Washington because of the new rules.  Lucas Giolito obviously has the injury concerns, but he has a tremendous work ethic and the best stuff of any pitcher in the class.  The rest of the class is sort of a collective “eh.” Tony Renda is more of a utility infielder without the ability to play shortstop, so I wasn’t a huge fan of his selection in round two.  Brett Mooneyham was an interesting selection a round later, and if he can hold up physically he’s a potential middle rotation starter.  The rest of the selections in the top ten were essentially easy to sign college players — and while there were no major reaches — there’s nothing to really write home about, either.  If Giolito is what I think he is, then this will be remembered as a great draft, but there’s a real good chance that there’s no major contributor, either.”

NatsGM:  “Okay, no more reflecting on the past, let’s start looking toward next year and the 2013 MLB draft…  What are the general strengths and weaknesses in this draft class overall?”

CC:         “Overall, it’s a fairly weak year. There’s some good prep position player depth, particularly in the state of Georgia (again), but on the collegiate side it’s extremely shallow in terms of day one talent.  On the mound, the college pitching isn’t as good as 2011 but it’s better than 2012, but the high school pitching doesn’t have the Dylan Bundy or Giolito stand out of previous seasons.”

NatsGM:  “I know the draft is months away, but as we enter to 2013, who are some names at the top of your draft board?”

CC:         “The name everyone knows is Mark Appel, and he starts the year at the top of the board. Ryne Stanek of Arkansas isn’t far behind however, and may have more upside. Austin Meadows is a five-tool outfielder in Georgia with one of the better swings in the draft, and Clint Frazier — also from Georgia — has bat speed that would rival anyone in any draft class. And while the college hitting class doesn’t have much depth, San Diego’s Kris Bryant has light tower power and at least a decent chance of sticking at third base.”
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NatsGM:  “Funny you mention him, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you about the Mark Appel situation from last summer and where you expect him to be selected next June?”

CC:         “It’s tough to say this early, but I can’t see him falling out of the top five barring an injury or ridiculous demands (which he did not have last year, contrary to popular belief). He’s not a lock to be the top pick, by any means, but it’s really difficult for me to imagine him being available after Cleveland picks.”

NatsGM:  “With the Nationals selecting later in Round 1 next June, could you give us a few names that might be available in that area of the draft to keep an eye on next spring?

CC:  “Outside of the Giolito pick, Washington has generally gone college heavy in the first round. Since this is such a weak cop of collegiate bats — and since the Nationals won’t be picking for a while — we’re likely looking at an arm. One guy that I think could be there and would be good value is LSU’s Ryan Eades; a right-hander with a plus fastball who needs to improve his command if he wants to go in the top half of the first round. This could be the area that Karsten Whitson falls into as well, a player who many projected to be the first pick in the draft before a poor sophomore campaign and injuries pushed him back. If there was a team that I could see taking a big chance on Whitson, It’s the Nationals.

NatsGM:  “Christopher, thanks so much for joining us and sharing your insights on the upcoming draft.  Where can we keep up with you going forward?”

CC:         “You can check out www.mlbdraftinsider.com, and also please check out the draft book, which is on sale for just a buck and I’m really proud of. Also follow us on twitter @MLBDraftInsider (www.twitter.com/mlbdraftinsider)”

Thanks again to Christopher for sharing some time with me; I highly encourage everyone to read his work about all things MLB Draft, especially his draft book, which is a must-read for even a casual draft enthusiast.

 

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