It appears as though the Seattle Mariners will be the winners of the Michael Morse trade sweepstakes. Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal reported that the Mariners were on the verge of acquiring the right handed 1B/DH (I use that 1B loosely) from the Washington Nationals, and the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore reports that it’s done. The Nationals will receive pitching prospect A.J. Cole and an additional prospect plus a PTBNL from the Oakland Athletics in a three-team deal, which will also see John Jaso shipped to the Bay Area.
Morse became expendable after the Nationals brought Adam LaRoche back on a two-year, $24 million deal. Morse hit .291/.321/.470 with 18 home runs in 430 plate appearances last season, but was limited to 103 games due to a right lat muscle injury. The 30-year old enjoyed a breakout season in 2011 in which he hit .303/.360/.550 with 31 home runs.
