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January 17, 2013 12-13 Offseason Joe Janish

Mike Morse Traded to Mariners

The busy Nationals have sent slugger Mike Morse back to whence he came.

Morse returns to the Seattle Mariners, who originally acquired him in 2004 in a deal with the White Sox that also included Miguel Olivo and Jeremy Reed and sent Freddy Garcia to Chicago. When the M’s traded him to Washington, they received Ryan Langerhans in return. Suffice to say, they gave up a bit more to reacquire him.

It was a three-team deal that included the Oakland Athletics, who returned former phenom A.J. Cole to Washington as well as righthanded non-prospect pitcher Blake Treinen and a player to be named later. The Mariners sent catcher John Jaso to the A’s to complete the deal.

Cole was originally drafted by the Nats in 2010 but was shipped to Oakland as part of the package for Gio Gonzalez. He’s a tall, rangy, 21-year-old hard-throwing righthander who struggled with mechanical issues last year but has a fastball that gets into the upper 90s. Baseball America ranked him as the A’s #3 prospect after the 2012 season. His ceiling is similar to that of Zack Wheeler, and considering what he shows right now, his floor is probably Bobby Parnell. In other words, if the Mets wanted to obtain Morse, it likely would have cost Noah Syndegaard or a package that included Jenrry Mejia and/or Jeurys Familia. I provide this for perspective.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. TexasGusCC January 17, 2013 at 12:30 am
    No thank you. But, all the Maraners gave up was Jaso? The A’s gave up all the prospects and owe one more. Maybe I’m underestimating Jaso.
    • Joe Janish January 17, 2013 at 12:48 am
      Well, Jaso is an on-base machine and anyone who saw the Moneyball movie (or read the book) knows that Brad Pitt / Billy Beane loves guys who can get on base.

      In less than 300 ABs, Jaso had 10 HR, 50 RBI, and posted a .394 OBP and .850 OPS. That kind of production is rare from a catcher, and is highly valued by the A’s.

      Consider that Mike Napoli — who hits more HR but isn’t nearly as productive overall — earned himself a 3-year, $39M deal (before failing a physical). Offense behind the plate is at a premium.

      • TexasGusCC January 17, 2013 at 1:30 am
        OK, thank you for the insight Joe. I know the Mets need an outfielder, and you have to give to get, but… MHO is that giving up a high ceiling for a possible one year rental player is tough; rather give up a more known commodity.