The Baltimore Orioles have had preliminary discussions with the Minnesota Twins about the possibility of acquiring first baseman Justin Morneau, reports the Baltimore Sun.
Orioles trade rumors: Twins 1B Justin Morneau on radar, per report
The Orioles are looking to upgrade at designated hitter, but with a strong lineup surrounding the position, they appear unwilling to give up too much in return.
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A top scout for the Orioles has been in Seattle watching the Twins play the Mariners this week. Baltimore may be using this opportunity to also watch Seattle players who may end up on the trade block, such as Kendrys Morales.
More Orioles coverage: Camden Chat
The Orioles are third in the MLB in both runs scored and wOBA, but there are still improvements that can be made to the team's offense. While first base won't open up anytime soon with Chris Davis manning the position, Baltimore has not been able to find consistently strong production at designated hitter.
In fact, by wOBA, the Orioles have received the second worst production at DH in the American League, just ahead of the Yankees. Baltimore recently called up Henry Urrutia to start at the position.
Urrutia, 26, is a Cuban defector in his first season in America. He crushed the ball in the minors, posting a .365/.427/.531 over 67 games between Double- and Triple-A. However, he is still a bit of a wild card. Eight games into his major league career, he has hit .321 but has failed to draw a walk and has one extra base hit.
The Orioles would like some veteran consistency to anchor their DH position, but with Urrutia hitting reasonably well and a strong lineup otherwise, the team is unlikely to give up a lot of value for a player like Morneau.
Morneau is a free agent at the end of the season and is still owed roughly $6 million for the remainder of the year. In 2013, he has hit .267/.327/.401 over 95 games.
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