Mike Morse Signs with San Francisco Giants
By Paul Novak
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Former Mariners outfielder Mike Morse is joining the San Francisco Giants. The Giants have signed the oft injured power hitter to an incentive based contract much like the deal that Corey Hart signed with the Mariners just a few days ago. Morse’s contract has a base salary of $6M and is a 1-year deal.
When healthy, Morse is one of the games better power hitters. His weakness comes from playing the outfield so poorly that his offensive production is somewhat negated. Morse has played first base in the past but the plan for the Giants is to make Morse their starting left fielder along with Angel Pagan in center and Hunter Pence in right field.
When the Mariners traded for Morse, bringing him back to the Pacific Northwest, they had hoped for the hitter that he had become with the Washington Nationals. The .296/.345/.516 batting line with 64 homers in 1298 plate appearances for the Nationals as a first baseman/outfielder was a realistic expectation to have.
What they received was much different. After more injuries in 2013, Morse batted just .215/.270/.381 with 13 home runs between the Mariners and Orioles, easily the worst numbers of his career. It’s obvious his time with the mariners was a disappointment but we wish him the best of luck with his new team in the National league.