Update: Yankees have interest in Mike Morse

by 143 Comments

Injury Updates: Jeter & Cervelli
Prospect Profile: Corey Black

3:48pm: Jim  Bowden says the Yankees have been among the “most active” teams trying to acquire Morse, along with the Mariners (his former team) and Rays.

2:31pm: And so it begins. The Yankees have interest in acquiring Morse according to Andrew Marchand and Jon Heyman. It makes too much sense.

12:31pm: The Nationals have agreed to re-sign Adam LaRoche to a two-year contract according to multiple reports, which presumably frees up Mike Morse for a trade. Washington has a full outfield (Bryce Harper, Denard Span, Jayson Werth) and LaRoche at first, leaving no room at the inn for the 30-year-old right-handed hitter.

Morse has hit .296/.345/.516 (133 wRC+) these last three years and is owed $6.75M in 2013 before becoming a free agent next winter. He’s an obvious fit for the Yankees as either an outfielder or DH, and Mark Zuckerman says the Nats would likely seek a lefty reliever (Boone Logan!) and starting pitching depth in return. The two teams match up very well for a trade. I’m not the biggest Morse fan in the world, but this needs to happen.

Injury Updates: Jeter & Cervelli
Prospect Profile: Corey Black
  • http://www.twitter.com/_swarlesbarkley Drew

    This is the big(ish) bat the Yankees so desperately need.

  • Rick

    what kind of depth would this be? Adam Warren/Brett Marshal kind of depth or David Phelps? Could the Yankees trade Logan and Phelps and sign Marcum?

    • MartinRanger

      Phelps is too valuable to give up in addition to Logan. A Warren/CoJo type is a whole lot more likely.

    • FLYER7

      Oh no not Phelpsie…how ’bout Boone and some pitcher not on the 40 man roster?

      • Yankee Insider

        Yea we should do that because it’s only one year of morse (hopefully if we do get him we give him an extension) I say we trade Hughes/Logan (each has one year left unless they want young pitching then go with burawa/Logan/warren.

        • Laz

          I think Hughes is too much, just because then it further opens up your rotation to injuries. It would move phelps and Nova into the rotation, but who comes in when they get injured or ineffective?

  • Gonzo

    Yay! Can we put out bets on to the type of package he would get? In the event he is traded, of course.

  • MartinRanger

    Boone Logan and a B prospect for Morse. Make it happen, Cash.

  • John C

    MAKE IT HAPPEN CA$HBOY!!

  • Gonzo

    How about Rizzo? He’s been making quite a name for himself with the Nats.

  • Mscott

    I assume Cashman has the Nationals on Speed Dial for just such a contingency?

  • Murderers’ Row Boat

    I think the Mariners need another RFer with limited range.

  • trr

    This may be our best option at this point. Please don’t overpay for him!

  • TheOneWhoKnocks

    He’s an awful defender.
    but we’d only need him occasionally in the corners, he’d mostly be a DH.
    He can hit.
    He’s a righty.
    We have the pieces to land him (assuming Logan plus a solid prospect or two can get it done)
    Makes a whole lot of sense to me.

  • Robinson Tilapia

    If this is true, and the proposals some of us agreed on in the last thread are inflated, I’d drive Logan and Warren myself. I would only call Logan and Phelps a cab, though, and it better get there quick before I change my mind.

    • Laz

      Might be better to keep Phelps though. Club is going to need the depth next year, and especially in 2014 if kuroda, ap, ph leave.

  • Dan

    If it came down to one of the following two proposals, which would people prefer: Logan and Warren, or Rapada and Phelps?

    If I was Cashman, I would give those two proposals and let the Nationals pick. One proposal has a lower grade starter, but better reliever, and the other has a lower grade reliever with a better starter. One other potential issue I could see though is that the Red Sox were rumored to have been trying to sign LaRoche as a backup in case Napoli falls through, so I could see them trying to jack up the price in prospects for the Yankees.

    • Ted Nelson

      I wouldn’t give up Phelps for Morse, personally.

      • Luisergi

        Why not?

        I would, btw

        • Havok9120

          Too much of 2014-15 seems to be based around having a lot of guys pitching for close to the league minimum at the MLB level. Even if you think Phelps absolute ceiling is a 4 and he’s likely to be a 5, that’s still another guy we’d have to replace in the rotation. And we saw last season how quickly injury and implosion can wreck an organization’s pitching prospects.

          • Luisergi

            Fair enough,

            But i think they can acomplish that, the 2014-2015 thing, without Phelps. Those guys who imploded last year, Bañuelos and Pineda, with a bit of luck, may help the rotation by 2014.

            • Ted Nelson

              It’s possible, but since we don’t know exactly who will and who won’t work out I’d take the depth over guessing who will and won’t work out. Phelps was worth 0.8 fWAR and 2 bWAR last year as a rookie in 100 IP showing some versatility to bounce between the pen and rotation, so he’s not a bad option to have.

              • Luisergi

                Phelps sure is a nice piece to have, i’m not arguing otherwise, but the yankees neither have a DH for this year nor have options in the minors (looking at you Mustelier). And i think, between Marshal, Bañuelos, Pineda, Nova and the Bartolos and Freddies of 2014, and beyond, may be able to hold up the rotation.

                Hell, what you say if the yankees trade Phelps for Morse, and then sign Marcum??

                As i said, 2014 will suck with or without Phelps.

                • Ted Nelson

                  They expect to have a DH 1-3 months into the season, and have other options in the meantime both internally and via acquisition.

                  “As i said, 2014 will suck with or without Phelps.”

                  That’s a level of speculation that makes it hard to take anything you say seriously.

        • Coolerking101

          Have to agree with Ted. Morse is a 1yr rental. I think giving up a young, cost controlled #4 starter is a very dangerous move for a team like the Yankees (not to mention detrimental to staying under 189 next year). Given the likelihood of injury to a member of the Yankee starting staff, the questions about Nova and the dearth of big time SP prospects at AAA, Phelps could end up being a very important piece this year.

          • Luisergi

            More important than a decent right handed hitter with power? That’s the point where i disagree..

            He (Phelps) doesn’t even have a sure spot on the team, he may very well start the season in AAA.

            • Havok9120

              He doesn’t have one THIS SEASON. But we’re likely to lose 2 and possibly 3 starters this coming offseason. Pineda could never pitch effectively again. ManBan might be ready as a back of the rotation break in option by opening day 2014, but I don’t think we can count on more than that outta him by then.

              For me, its the multiple years of control versus Morse’s 1 year. I’m not in enough of a win now mode to like that kind of trade. Not to mention that even with Phelps/Nova being our 5th and 6th starters this season, we’ll almost certainly need both of them to start for the MLB team for stretches of the season. We went through, what, 7 starters last season?

              • Luisergi

                Oh trust me, 2014 will be a shit fest, with or without Phelps.

                • Ted Nelson

                  Thanks for sharing your crystal ball with us.

            • Ted Nelson

              A decent RH DH for 1/2 a season…

              • Luisergi

                Now you are asuming, either that A-Rod will come back strong, or that Youkilis will not get hurt.

                As somebody said;

                “Thanks for sharing your crystal ball with us.”

                • Ted Nelson

                  What else is reasonable to assume? I’m not assuming that A-Rod will come out on fire or that Youkilis will not miss any time. I’m assuming they’ll keep producing around what they’ve done recently.

                  • Ted Nelson

                    Would you prefer that the Yankees assume every player will get hurt and build an MLB squad in AAA for depth? They do a good job of accumulating depth, but it’s not reasonable to make a major move that costs you serious assets just in case someone gets hurt.

            • JU

              If he’s in AAA it’s by design. If they didn’t care about his development as a starter and they gave Nova the 5th starter spot, then there is no question Phelps would be in BP. Morse is nice hitter, but imagine if the situation was flipped – would you expect the Nats to give up a young, cost-controlled piece like Phelps and a very good LHRP for a limited player on a 1 year rental? I wouldn’t.

        • Ted Nelson

          My guess is Phelps is more valuable going forward.

          Phelps has 5 years of team control and is coming off a rookie year where he held his own as a starter and reliever for about 100 combined IP (0.8 fWAR, 2.0 bWAR). Pitchers are volatile by nature, but there’s also a decent chance he improves on his rookie year over the next five.

          Morse doesn’t play the field well (didn’t even grade out well at 1B in 2011), so he doesn’t fit a hole for me as well as he seems to for other people. Basically, the hole he fills for me is a partial season at DH between rotating some guys there and A-Rod expected back. In the OF, I think his defense negates most of his value… not to mention that if the Yankees are comfortable with Ichiro they have 3 starting OFs and only 1/3 of Ps are LH. He has a decently long injury history. He is only controlled for one season. He only has one season above 1.2 bWAR and 1.1 fWAR.

    • Dave in VA

      Me, I’d prefer to offer Logan and Warren, plus Dickerson as a 4th outfielder (or trade chip for the Nats to offer elsewhere). The Nats have enough room on their 40-man to take 3 for 1.

      Washington’s my 2nd favorite NL team, in many ways because they remind me of the Yankee squads of 1972-76. It’s also convenient since I live in Northern Virginia. And I think this trade would be beneficial to both sides. So go git ‘er done, Cash and Rizzo!

      Morse sucks in the OF (I watched a lot of him out there last year and it was painful) but I still think it wise for the Yanks to get him for primarily a DH (and a bit of Teixeira-injury insurance).

      • http://www,riveraveblues.com GT Yankee

        Was ready to post this, but Dave beat me to it. I would think the insurance that Dickerson would offer them in case one of their OF’s go down would appeal more than a “B” prospect. Of course, if we can get value for him all the better. Get’er done!

  • MannyGeee

    My suspicion is that since we’ve suspected this for 2 weeks, Cashman has been talking to Washington for almost a month. If its gonna happen, it will happen by Friday’s chat.

    I think Logan/Warren would be great. But I get a feeling you are talking Logan/Nova. Which I would do less immediately…

    • Robinson Tilapia

      Did you bring up Joba in the previous thread? That was an interesting option I hadn’t considered.

      I’m not quite sure how I feel about that. Head says “of course.”

      • Nate

        I would obviously rather give up Logan than Joba, but I think I’d have to say yes to Joba + Warren. It would severely pain me, though.

        • jjyank

          I think I agree. I love Joba, but he only has 1 year left, and if it avoids giving up Phelps, I think I’d do it.

          • Havok9120

            I certainly would. Puts a bit more pressure on Aaradsma than I’d like, but that’s the way that goes.

            • jjyank

              Yeah, and even then Aardsma is still really only the “seventh inning guy”, so there’s only so much pressure.

          • Nate

            In order of whom I’d like to keep…
            Nova>Phelps>Joba>>>>>>>>>>>>>Logan

          • Dave in VA

            Logan’s more easily replaced. But at this point I’d trade Joba if that’s what it took; hard to see him in pinstripes beyond 2013, alas.

      • MannyGeee

        I did mention Joba earlier today. And it hurt my heart to do so.

        But my head, much like you, says it makes a shit ton of sense.

        But hey, he might get a chance to start in Washington!

        *pouring myself a Vodka, Bleach, Ajax, Cosmopolitan cocktail…*

  • Reggie C.

    Brett Marshall + Logan.

    Marshall is the best healthy SP prospect in the farm who might actually be able to more than hold his own in the NL after a season in AAA. Too much to give up???

    Nope. Morse will get penciled into the lineup every game. We’re not trading for a platoon player here.

    • Ted Nelson

      Not a platoon player, but is a DH.

  • Slappy McWaterbug

    Another player in a contract year. A whole lot of people looking to earn some 2014 money, this will be awesome.

    • Luisergi

      Yep, i think many people doesn’t realize this, if i had to bet (and i will) the yankees win the AL east, and Robinson Cano is the MVP, he may hit 40 homers…

      Now, 2014 might be i little to ugly to watch.

      • Jim Is Bored

        Yay, another one trick pony.

  • Mike HC

    I definitely like this. Morse would be a huge unexpected addition. Hopefully it is true the Nats aren’t looking for that much because they don’t have a spot for him.

    • Mike HC

      I guess that depends on what “pitching depth” means. Nova or Phelps? I like it a lot less. Warren? See ya

      • Havok9120

        Yeah, if we’re talking Logan and Warren that’s one thing. But Nova and Phelps (even if you think of them as a 4 and a 5) are both too valuable going forward considering all the pitching setbacks we had down on the farm last season. We need cheap starters for 2014-15.

    • MannyGeee

      The Nats are clearly in the drivers seat. because there are a TON of interested buyers. Considering the insane contracts we’ve seen, would anything surprise you?

      Would the Sox dangling Franklin Morales, Jose Iglesias or Felix Doumbront (u pick 2) for Morse surprise you?

      • Mike HC

        I’m with you. I thought the idea of getting Morse for Logan and Warren was not realistic. I could see the Nats accepting a Nova/Phelps deal, or Campos, Logan and another single A prospect (not the top 4 guys) type of deal. We shall see I guess.

  • Gonzo
    • jjyank

      Heh. My Nats fan coworkers are really upset with the idea of trading Morse.

      • Dave in VA

        Every sportsradio talker in the FedroSplat, and all the sports dept folks at WTOP and WNEW (I will **NEVER** get used to the latter), seem to be assuming Morse is gone.

  • There’s the Door

    Cash will not trade Phelps in this deal, nor should he.

  • BronxBomber98

    Trading Logan and Warren (that’d be my guess) for Morse would be great. With any luck Cesar Cabral will be healthy and can take Logan’s spot in the bullpen.

    • Roadgeek Adam

      My only minor worry is that Cabral’s not expected until mid-Spring (not training) like May or June. Overworking Rapada worries me.

  • https://twitter.com/Paddock9652 Stratman9652

    Maybe Cash can get the lawyers to slip Bryce Harper’s name in there somewhere in the fine print. Hey, a guy can dream right?

    • Havok9120

      While I don’t expect that, I would find it hilarious if the Nationals do something totally unexpected with the spare body they now have. Some huge blockbuster trade that leaves everyone with their mouths hanging open.

      It almost certainly wouldn’t involve us, and I have no idea what such a trade would look like, but it would be a ton of fun to watch.

  • Brian Cashman

    Mike Morse = too young and healthy for this team

    • Gonzo

      He missed the first two months of the season last year.

      • Dan

        Exactly. The point is still valid.

        • Ted Nelson

          10 game PED suspension in 2005, knee surgery in 2006 that limited him to 78 games between AAA/MLB, labrum surgery in 2008 5 games into the season… not a model of health.

          • steves

            Fascinating that no one else had any follow-up to Ted’s 10 game PED suspension in 2005 comment (which is factually accurate). Morse certainly has a familiar PED look to his career arc (a 9 year minor league journeyman with barely double digit HR power who ends up with a 31 HR spike year in the majors followed by a “strained” lat that keeps him out for 50 games). Buyer beware for this guy. I guess if he was a free agent then for one year the Yanks may not care or have a problem looking the other way a la Bartolo Colon but I wouldn’t give up anything valuable for him with that profile.

          • MannyGeee

            NARRATIVE!!!!!!!

    • Henry Krinkle

      Which young players should they have acquired and how would they get them?

    • Mandy Stankiewicz

      Ha! +1 ^ PS. They were asking for a lefty reliever (Boone) and cash. Why is everyone throwing Phelps and Warren at ’em? Chill…

  • Ted Nelson

    Definitely an intriguing option, but I do think that terms like “need,” “desperate,” and “outfielder” are being thrown around too freely.

    I think chances are that a team in need of a starting 1B or even a full-time DH offers more. Logan + Warren seems like a no-brainer even to me, and I probably hug Yankee prospects more than most and am not particularly high on Morse… so I have to doubt that happens. It is possible that fans are much higher on Morse than MLB teams, though, and if that’s the case I’d be fine with Warren + Logan. One you start getting into the Marshall, Phelps, Nova range you really start limiting your ability to fill out the 2014 rotation, and that kind of pain seems more realistic. Or maybe with their 2013 squad relatively set the Nats would be interested in higher upside, further away to go with a reliever.

  • MP

    Such a clear, clear, clear fit. One-year guy. Right-handed bat with some pop in the outfield corners. Can occasionally fill in at first now that Swish-as-backup is no longer an option. Can be the primary DH when A-Rod returns. Plus, the Nats and Yanks align so well for a trade.

    • jim p

      But I wonder what do we do with Youk when A-Rod returns? Still, to have a back-up for Youk for half-a-season wouldn’t hurt either, given his injury tendencies.

      • Luisergi

        May be, and just may be, Youk gets hurt by that time.

        That kind of situation usually sorts itself out, i woulnd’t be worried about it. And more importantly, that posible logjam, wouldn’t stop for making the trade.

        • Mike HC

          Definitely

        • jjyank

          Agreed. Don’t worry about logjams when we’re dealing with injury prone players. Gotta roll the dice and deal with it when it happens. If it does happen, and Morse, Youk, and A-Rod are all healthy and productive, that’s a good problem to have anyway.

          • MannyGeee

            this. There is more of a chance of ALL of these guys on the mend at one time than off of them being on the bench jog-jamming at one time…

      • Havok9120

        If that’s the problem we’re having once ARod comes back (i.e. how do we fit all these healthy, productive players into the lineup) then we’ll be having a darn good season. Worry about that once it happens.

        “Ahh. We’ve got the Montero-Pineada trade done. No need to follow through on the Kuroda contract. And, sorry Andy, we don’t have room for you.”

        • Ted Nelson

          Yeah, but to me the issue is that depending on the package it takes you might be giving up too much long-term to justify creating an expensive ($ wise) short-term log jam.

          • Havok9120

            Oh, no doubt. I’m just saying that if the log jam is the only (or even primary) thing he’s got against the trade that he shouldn’t let that stop him.

            There are very good reasons not to make this type of trade. Worrying about how we’d fit all those bats into the lineup isn’t one of them.

            • Ted Nelson

              I don’t completely disagree. Morse seems to take away a lot of value when you put him in the field, though, so I would consider the DH log-jam a little bit. This is where I sort of disagree on his value with those who seem to see him as a valuable 4th OF.

              • jjyank

                I haven’t watched Morse enough to make a real judgement on just how bad he is in the field. But we survived Ibanez playing the field for extended periods of time. As a primary DH/4th OF, I think he has enough value to warrant trading for him. Assuming the cost works, of course.

                • Jim Is Bored

                  Morse has been consistently -10 to -15 UZR according to fangraphs. Pretty terrible.

                  But then again, we’ve lived with worse out there, and we could potentially hide him a bit given Gardner’s range.

                  • jjyank

                    I’m not doubting that he’s bad. But the Yankees have fielding winning teams with the likes of Matsui, Damon, Abreu, Sheffield, and Ibanez out there. And those guys were starting OFs.

                    If Morse is mostly DH and occasionally a fill in OF, I don’t see his defense being too much of a detriment.

                    • Jim Is Bored

                      Oh yeah, I was just putting numbers on your suspicions.

                      I’d be perfectly happy with the DH/occasional OF situation, and as “break glass in case of emergency” backup for an Ichiro or Gardner injury.

                  • MannyGeee

                    Marcus Thames and Raul Ibanez say hello.

                    Its going to be less worrysome with one of the better defensive replacements in the game behind him in Gardner/Ichiro/Granderson…

                    • Ted Nelson

                      That someone else can fill in for an inning or two doesn’t make the innings he plays in the field any better.

                      Thames and Ibanez were cheap FAs, not guys the Yankees gave up cost controlled SPs for.

                • Ted Nelson

                  That you can live with worse doesn’t scream “trade a valuable asset or two for him” to me. It screams, “pick up a couple of schlubs off the scrap heap because one is probably as good.” The guy has averaged 1.6 fWAR and bWAR the last three years, the majority of that value coming in one of three years.

  • Mike HC

    Who do you think has more trade value and/or more value to the Yanks: Nova/Phelps or one of their big four hitting prospects? Any opinions welcome. I’m honestly not sure. Maybe Sanchez is more valuable than Nova/Phelps but not the other guys?

    • Havok9120

      Hmmm. HMMMMM.

      I’d probably put Sanchez (due to power and position) and Slade (love me some super-duper value lottery tickets) well above Nova/Phelps. Williams I put above them, but not as high as the other two; I am admittedly much lower on him than the majority of commenters here. In fact, I’d probably put him under Nova if it weren’t for everyone else having such a high opinion of him.

      With Austin, I really don’t know. By my understanding, he’s being sold as more of a sure thing than most of our other guys while having a lower ceiling. I have no idea why he’s being talked about that way, that’s just what’s stuck in my head. If that’s true, than I put him above Phelps but not Nova. If he really isn’t any more of a sure thing but just another good prospect, then I put him under Phelps.

      • Ted Nelson

        Yeah, it’s a tough question. Putting a value on Nova and Phelps is a tough question. If Nova can combine his 2011 “pitchability” with his 2012 Ks we could be a top-of-the- or at least mid-rotation SP, but it could go the other way too. Phelps has decent enough peripherals in 2012 to at least be useful, but if he proves to be the type of guy who can exceed them consistently he might be pretty good (hence the 2 bWAR in 100 IP).

        That definitely seems to be the book on Austin. My personal opinion is that some of that has to do with scouts’ bias. Neither the media nor MLB teams seemed to have this guy high on their radar before the draft (did have some level of hype, but not in BA top 200 or taken until the 13th round), so I think some portion of their skepticism might be trying to save face or just still believing in their conviction (and they might be right to do that, I don’t know). Plus he’s not a “tools guy,” and I think with prospects we sometimes see secondary tools being overrated.
        I think Austin has maybe the best swing of any Yankee prospect. Sanchez’s is quite beautiful, too, but has wasted motion from what I remember and he seems to have more of a problem with off-speed stuff (of course he’s at C, but just talking pure offense). Austin has great balance.
        Between his arm and decent ability to steal bases in the low minors I think it’s very possible Austin at least sticks in RF as an average fielder.

        • Mike HC

          It could be interesting if Mike or one of the other writers did a Yankees Trade Value column, ranking maybe a top 40 or something. Kind of like what Jonah Keri did on Grantland for all of MLB trade value. And what Simmons has done for basketball for years.

  • Brazilian Fan

    who is Mike Morse?

    • https://twitter.com/Paddock9652 Stratman9652

      I thought he was that fat guy who hates George W. Bush. Apparently he is an outfielder for the Nationals. Who knew?

      • Cris Pengiucci

        *small chuckle*

  • Bertin Lefkovic

    I would prefer to trade Logan than Rapada and Nova than Phelps. Is that enough? I doubt that Logan (or Rapada) and Warren would be enough to get Morse. What other prospects would sweeten this deal? Am I the only one who thinks that Nunez is never going to be an everyday player for the Yankees and would be better for them as trade bait?

    • Havok9120

      Whether or not you think he’ll be an everyday, long-term fixture on the team, I think he’s too valuable at the moment to trade him. Until Jeter gets back on a field and shows he’s ready to be the everyday starter as soon as Opening Day, I don’t think you can trade the only other internal option we have for starting SS.

      • jjyank

        Yeah, Nunez is pretty much the only internal solution in the event Jeter has a setback or needs to DH for a couple weeks.

  • Coolerking101

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Marshall basically the same pitcher as Phelps, but with less velocity and no MLB service time? If so, maybe he’ll interest the Nats. Logan & Marshall/Warren is just fine by me.

    • Gonzo

      Opinions on Marshall vary depending on who you ask.

  • Austin Aunelowitzky

    Hopefully this drops Theo’s asking price for Alfonso.

  • http://riveraveblues austinmac

    I am not sure Marshall has less velocity or upside than Phelps. he is supposed to throw a very good heavy fastball. Certainly, more risk with a guy in the minors.

  • MartinRanger

    Apparently the Rays are pushing for him. I’ll be really annoyed if they let him go to a division rival.

    • Havok9120

      I’d really like to have Morse, but if Tampa wants to pay through the nose for a rental, let ’em.

      I WILL be really annoyed if they get him for their equivalent of Logan and Warren.

      • Chris in Maine

        Not sure they have the lefty in the pen to spare.

        • Havok9120

          I don’t know enough about their team and farm to say one way or the other. All I know is that everyone keeps telling me that the Rays match up for a trade with the Nats better than anyone else.

    • Jim Is Bored

      That would not be a very Rays move, unless they get him for pennies.

      • MartinRanger

        In which case the Yankees not getting him when they have an asset like Logan is pretty much inexcusable.

        • Ted Nelson

          “An asset like Logan” and “inexcusable” in the same sentence… wow, we are hitting new lows on here.

          • MartinRanger

            Yes, because lefty relievers with major league success and mid-90s fastballs grow on trees.

            He’s an asset.

            • Coach Potato

              He’s in his final year before free agency…which is why he’s eminently tradeable.

            • Ted Nelson

              I didn’t question that he’s an asset. I questioned your statement that not using him in your fantasy trade scenario is inexcusable. You have no idea if the Nats want Logan or what else they want for Morse.

  • LitFig

    I do not want to trade Nova or Phelps for Morse.

    We are going to need young, cost controlled pitchers going forward. I’d rather have Nova/Phelps/Pineda/ManBan/whoever battling for the 3-4-5 spots going into 2014, given the $189M payroll.

    Spend the money on the position guys and let the younger guys develop.

    I’ve been a Yankee fan since 1991. The world doesn’t end in 2013. You have to have the long view on the organization.

  • Mark L.

    Maybe expand the deal to include Kurt Suzuki?

    Nationals clearly view Ramos as their catcher of the future, and Suzuki really doesn’t have much value starting 5-6 times a month. He is considered an above-average defensive player, he has started in the AL, and is under control through 2014 (although with an expensive option).

    Why not swap Logan, Cervelli (a true backup), and maybe someone like CoJo or Shaeffer Hall for Morse, Suzuki, and Lombardozzi?

    • MartinRanger

      I’d certainly do it if the Nats were interested. I can’t imagine they would ask much for Suzuki. And he’s got more upside than Stewart, even as bad as he’s been in recent years.

    • Sleepy Brandon

      Would definitely have to add nova or phelps in that one. But would be thrilled to have Kurt starting instead of what we currently have.

    • Havok9120

      Now that would be interesting. He’s got a 9.25 million dollar 2014 vesting option if he starts 113 games or plays 120 this season. Hmm. Logan+Phelps/Nova+Stewart/Frankie is probably the minimum we could hope to give up in that case (yes, MTPS).

      I shall think about this. Probably wouldn’t do it. I’m not as concerned about Frankie/Stewart as many are, but this is certainly interesting to think about.

    • MannyGeee

      I like where your head is at. He passes the “better than Stewart” test. And I can see him not hitting the 113 games started with Stewart/Cervelli/Lettuce Guy floating around.

  • Blake

    Think they could expand the deal to get Kurt Suzuki? Wonder if that’d be worthwhile

    • Havok9120

      I’m thinking about that too. That vesting option worries me. 9.25 million 2014 dollars for Kurt Suzuki? Eeeep.

    • Herby

      When did Suzuki become worth having?

  • Blake

    Yea….Suzukis option for 2014 is a club option but becomes guaranteed if he starts 113 games…..that would be a problem if he did

  • Greg

    question is whether the Yankees have 2013 budget room left for him.

    • Blake

      He makes 6.5 million this year….I guess that’s a question for Scroodge McHal

      • Havok9120

        They’re up at, what, 205-210 million this season? It’s not unreasonable if the answer is “no more for a piece that isn’t absolutely necessary or a game-changer.” We really need to get away from the idea that Hal wanting to cut the budget means that he’s cheaping out on the team. That’s an insane amount of money to risk even if you’re almost certain to make a profit in the end.

        That said, I don’t think we’d even be in the talks if the FO and ownership hadn’t already declared that there was room for him in the budget.

  • Brian S.

    I wouldn’t give up Phelps or CoJo. I’d give up Logan and Warren though.

  • Bill

    How about Morse and Chad Tracy for Logan, Warren and Corban Joseph?? Tracy can be the LH Pinch Hitter we need with a catching tandem of Stewart and Cervelli. He also can be a LH third baseman to give Youk some time off and can even play first base. Of course he can also be the LH DH, but I would let Morse DH against righties and play RF against lefties.

    • The Doctor (formerly known as G formerly known as Matt Smith fornerly known as David Tennant formerly known as etc)

      I don’t know about Tracy, but that’s the exact package I proposed for Morse in the other thread. Well done.

  • MartinRanger

    Has Tracy hit since he left Arizona?

    • Bill

      In very limited at bats last year he hit quite well against righties. I am concerned about Youks durability. If Youk starts all 60 or so games against lefties and splits the other 100 or so starts against righties with Tracy, he still starts 100-110 games and Tracy gets 200 at bats, almost totally against righties.

  • Bill

    If the trade I proposed happens, we would have the following starting line ups: Against RH Starters – Gardner CF, Jeter SS, Cano 2B, Tex 1B, Granderson LF, Morse DH, Ichiro RF, Youk/Tracy 3B, Stewart/Cervelli C. Against LH Starters – Jeter DH, Youk 3B, Cano 2B, Tex 1B, Morse RF, Granderson CF, Diaz or Canzler (who ever makes team) LF, Nunez SS, Stewart/Cervelli C.

  • Magical Mystery Team
  • King of Fruitless Hypotheticals

    Anybody else keep refreshing to see if it gets updated to ‘done deal’ all afternoon? No? Me neither.

  • Dars36

    This is the move we need to change this offseason around. It has to happen! A line-up Ichiro, Jeter, Cano, Tex, Granderson, Youk, Morse, Cervelli and Gardner has a significant amount of tooth….

    • Jonathan

      I like it. I expect Ichiro to be between his Seattle numbers and NYY numbers and play great defense with his speed. Jeter won’t do what he did next year but I’d take .285/.345/.400 ish. Cano could go on a monster tear but I think we’re looking at who he is at this point and know his floor. Tex in 2011 actually was on his usual 2nd half tear before injuries cut it down. He was also on a tear this year between injuries. I expect a slight bounce back at maybe .270/.365/.490 or so. Granderson will be between 2011 and 2012 with a chance for a huge contract year. Youk is pretty much all about health and Morse would be a great addition to the bottom 3rd and with all 3 OFers capable of playing CF we can work around it so he can always only have to play the smaller RF when his time comes to platoon. Depending on Ichiro that’s only 1 guy you really don’t want up in Cervelli. How much better does this team look with Martin at C? With Morse able to play 1B and the OF we could carry Nix who can play the OF/INF and Nunez to backup SS and pinch run and then maybe get a straight up DH out of Hafner/Thome/Giambi/Scott

  • MartinRanger

    Morse doesn’t want to be a DH.

    Fortunately, he doesn’t really get to decide these things. The Yankees will give him some time in RF, regardless. It can’t be worth than the back-to-back years of hobbled Sheffield and Abreu. At least not much.

    • Jersey Joe

      He can also play 1st which is a plus. I’d give him 40 games in RF, 30 games at 1B, and the rest at DH.

  • Mike in Davie Florida

    Would not trade Phelps in a rental deal. He can definitely step in the rotation and do a solid job. I would trade Logan and a Warren, or a Joseph or an Adams. Something along those lines. Now if they want to expand the deal to include some catching depth, then you might have to go deeper.