Michael Morse is a National without a home. At age 30, he has been displaced by the team resigning first baseman Adam LaRoche. Morse is not a good defender in the outfielder or first base, but he is a bat.
In 102 games last season, he hit .291, 18 HR, 62 RBI, .321 OBP, 0.6 WAR.
In 2011, he played full time and hit .303, 31 HR, 95 RBI, .360 OBP, 3.8 WAR.
He is one year away from free agency. He may be considered a late bloomer (he was drafted in the third round in 2000).
He projects as a left field/first baseman.
The Cubs have Soriano locked in left, and Rizzo locked at first.
However, the Cubs have no true replacement/back up for Soriano or Rizzo. The Cubs have no player insurance on the roster if Soriano or Rizzo gets hurt during the season.
The Cubs have three durable HR hitters on the squad: Soriano, Rizzo and Castro.
If the Cubs think Nate Schierholtz can transform into a full time right fielder, they are dreaming. He played only 114 games last season, and hit .257, 6 HR, 21 RBI, .321 OBP, negative 0.1 WAR. He was worse than a replacement (AAA) player.
So it is strange that the Cubs are not mentioned as a possible trade partner to acquire Morse. Teams should be trying to improve every position during the off season. Morse is a clear upgrade over the current RF choices and any utility player on the bench.
The Nationals may be willing to give up Morse for a low price ( a left handed reliever). It would easy to slide Morse into a right field platoon and spell Rizzo at first against hard left handed starters. It would seem to be a no-brainer to at least talk to the Nationals about Morse. It is only for one year.
