It is looking more and more likely that the Marlins are going to trade Logan Morrison, as the Brewers, Blue Jays, Pirates and Rays have all shown interest in the first baseman, according to Jon Heyman. However, the Rays may not be interested after all, as Joel Sherman notes.
Logan Morrison trade rumors: Brewers, Blue Jays, Rays and Pirates interested in Marlins’ 1B
The trade market for Marlins’ first baseman Logan Morrison is beginning to heat up as a number of teams have shown interest.
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Morrison is 26 and eligible for salary arbitration for the first time in his career. Although he was a top-20 prospect as late as 2010, he has yet to hit consistently in the major leagues. Across four seasons with the Marlins, he has hit only .249/.337/.427 in nearly 1,500 plate appearances. The Marlins could be tired of waiting for him to live up to his potential and unwilling to give him a raise in order to find out if he ever will.
The Brewers struggled mightily to find production from first base in 2013. When Corey Hart was unable to go, they trotted out a number of miserable replacements that combined for an anemic .206/.259/.370. Yuniesky Betancourt saw the second-most action at first base on the team. Although Morrison is no great shakes, he would be a significant upgrade over the in-house candidates.
The Pirates have a need at first base now that Garrett Jones and Justin Morneau have signed elsewhere. Ironically enough, Jones inked a two-year pact with the Marlins, making Morrison that much more expendable. Jones was used in both the outfield and at first base, which may be the kind of role the Pirates see for Morrison.
The Rays need a first baseman now that James Loney is a free agent, but there are conflicting reports as to whether or not they are interested in Morrison. The Rays got a nice rebound season out of Loney for only $2 million, but he is now a free agent and could be more expensive than they like.
It’s a bit less apparent why the Blue Jays would be interested in Morrison. They already have the likes of Edwin Encarncion and Adam Lind at first base and DH, though they could be looking for someone to push Melky Cabrera in left field after his rough 2013.
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