The Baltimore Orioles have acquired outfielder Michael Morse from the Seattle Mariners, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Seattle will receive outfielder Xavier Avery in return for Morse, according to Peter Gammons.
Michael Morse traded to Orioles
The Mariners will receive outfielder Xavier Avery in return for Morse.
Thearon W. Henderson
The Orioles had placed waiver claims on Morse and Minnesota Twins outfielder Josh Willingham. Baltimore focused on Morse earlier Friday, as the Twins were asking for "way too much" in return for Willingham.
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Morse has struggled at the plate this season, batting .226/.283/.410 over 307 plate appearances. The outfielder has been particularly disappointing during August, as Rosenthal notes:
Morse since coming off DL with strained right quad on 7/29: .158/.200/.289 in 80 plate appearances.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 30, 2013
Baltimore is hoping that Morse can rebound by moving away from Safeco Field and into the hitter-friendly Camden Yards. He will likely platoon with Nate McLouth in left field, starting against left-handed pitching; Morse is a career .293/.349/.495 hitter against southpaws.
Morse is also expected to receive playing time at designated hitter. The Orioles offense has scored the third-most runs in the American League, but their designated hitters have combined to hit just .232/.280/.381.
John Sickels of Minor League Ball rated Avery as the 12th-best prospect in the Orioles system in his mid-season review, writing:
.300/.391/.406 with 12 steals for Bowie in 39 games, .216/.291/.284 with 12 steals for Norfolk in 55 games. No change here: really good tools, but bat is shaky against good pitching. Profiles as a reserve for me.
The Mariners will replace Morse on the 25-man roster with top pitching prospect Taijuan Walker, who is making his major-league debut against the Houston Astros Friday night.
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