Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
There aren’t a lot of Miami Marlins players not named Giancarlo Stanton that people really want to consider trading for, but first baseman Logan Morrison might be worth taking a chance on. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a hole at first base and a short term hole in right field, and Morrison has played in the outfield some in his career.
It seems like Morrison has been around for a long time, but he is still just 26 years old. His career has been, disappointing, to say the least. He was a top 20 prospect in 2008 and 2009 according to BaseballAmerica.com’s rankings, but he hasn’t lived up to those expectations. He has the talent, though. He was a top prospect for a reason. Sometimes players just need a different environment to succeed in, and let’s face it — the Marlins haven’t exactly had a great environment to play in recently.
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If the Pirates decide to acquire a first baseman via trade rather than spending a lot of money in free agency, Morrison would be a solid target. The Marlins couldn’t possibly expect much in return for an underachieving first baseman, so he wouldn’t cost all that much. If the Pirates decide to keep Gaby Sanchez around, they could use a Sanchez/Morrison platoon, with Morrison only batting against right-handed pitching. In 2013, Morrison was decent against right-handed pitchers but horrid against lefties. In 254 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers in 2013, Morrison hit for a .261/.354/.423 slash line with a 114 wRC+.
Morrison is still cheap and he won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season. He is cheap enough that the Pirates could still try to find better options even after trading for Morrison; they could simply give him a shot and ultimately decide to go with a better option if needed. Trading for Morrison seems like a very low-risk move unless the Marlins actually want some big prospect package for some reason.
