With the infield and outfield set for April, Mike Rizzo will now turn his attention to bulking up the bullpen with left-handed relievers via trading Michael Morse.  As DoD’s own Jared Book notes, there are a number of teams that have excess lefties to deal and would love a middle-of-the-lineup slugger like Morse: the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, and the Texas Rangers, all of which have been previously linked to the 1B/OF this offseason.  One name I’d like to add to that list is the Kansas City Royals.  Let’s look at each option:

Tampa Bay Rays:

Before the Nationals signed Dan Haren earlier this offseason to a one year, $13 million deal, it became evident that both the Nationals and Rays were interested in a trade that would send a formidable, end-of-rotation starter to D.C. in exchange for some sort of package including Morse and potentially Danny Espinosa.  When the Rays decided to send powerhouse pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis to Kansas City instead, the Nationals were forced to look elsewhere for a starter.  Nevertheless, I personally believe the Rays would still love to have a guy like Morse in its lineup in 2013.  He hit for a .291 average and 18 homeruns coming back from injury last season in 102 game appearances, and will only be making $7 million next year in salary–a reasonable price for thrifty Tampa Bay.  A big upgrade from Carlos Pena, I’d say.  What makes this possible deal so desirable for both teams is that the Rays have a number of lefties they could reasonably deal to the Nats in exchange for Morse.  First and foremost, Jake McGee.  McGee had a phenomenal season for Tampa Bay in 2012, going 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA and 0.8 WHIP in 69 relief appearances.  Another guy the Nationals could grab from Tampa is Cesar Ramos, who has spent the last three seasons going back and forth between Triple-A and the major league squads of the Padres and Rays.  He’s shown tremendous promise, especially having pitched very well this past September with the Rays and finishing 2012 with a commendable 2.10 ERA.  This is the ideal option for the Nationals, in my opinion, mainly because of the top-notch McGee, who pitched even better than recently-linked-now-Dodger J.P Howell.

Seattle Mariners:

Another team that could certainly make a big play for Morse is the Seattle Mariners.  Forgettably for Seattle fans, the M’s finished dead-last in the American League in hits, runs, RBIs, and batting average last season.  It seems clear Michael Morse could and would boost those statistics in 2013.  A couple of relievers the Nats could secure from the Mariners’ system include Charlie Furbush and Oliver Perez.  Furbush is probably more desirable of the two, as the LSU product pitched extremely well in both August and September following a return from a triceps injury, ending 2012 with a 2.75 ERA in 49 game appearances with the major league squad.  Perez is probably a safe bet to be traded as well if the Mariners acquire Morse, as he has shown tremendous durability as both a MLB starter and now reliever with Seattle last season.  He gave up just seven runs in 29.2 innings for the M’s for a 2.12 ERA.

With Adam LaRoche now signed with the Nationals for the next two seasons, Michael Morse will most certainly be dealt for solid relief pitching as the Nats’ quest for a title continues in 2013.

Texas Rangers:

With Josh Hamilton destined for Hollywood and Los Angeles, the Rangers will now look to revamp their outfield as they will contend for yet another AL West division title this coming season.  Unquestionably, they have plenty of money to spend and would absolutely love to have a slugger like Morse replace Hamilton in the middle of an already star-studded lineup.  A couple names that come to mind for which the Nationals could trade are relievers Robbie Ross and Joe Ortiz.  Though he struggled late in the season, Ross had a solid year for the Rangers in 2012.  In just his first major league season, he finished with a 6-0 record and 2.22 ERA in 65 innings pitched.  Shadowed by one of the best groups of starters in all of baseball, Ross certainly held his own and made a name for himself for years to come.  While Ortiz has never played in the majors and just came into the Rangers’ farm system this offseason, his strong minor league numbers make him a potential early call-up in 2013.  His 2.15 ERA in 62 innings should be commendably noted.

Kansas City Royals:

A final team that I’d like to add to this list of suitors for Morse is Kansas City.  As aforementioned, the Royals recently traded one of the top prospects in all of baseball in Wil Myers for top-end starters James Shields and Wade Davis earlier this offseason.  They clearly have a “win-now” attitude, and I believe that alone puts them in the market for Morse.  Billy Butler seems to be destined as KC’s DH and Eric Hosmer struggled mightily as the Royals’ first baseman last season, making a play for Morse ideal.  Tim Collins is a guy the Nationals could seek in such a deal, as his 3.36 ERA in 72 appearances is quite noteworthy.  Donnie Joseph is another lefty prospect Rizzo could also covet in such a deal, although he is a career minor leaguer.

It will be very interesting to see where Michael Morse lands later this offseason, but for now, expect solid, playoff-ready lefties to come into D.C. to fill the gaps left by the departed Sean Burnett, Tom Gorzelanny, and Michael Gonzalez, on which the Nats relied heavily in its incredible 2012 campaign.

Andrew Friedman, much like Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, has earned the trust of fans to get the benefit of the doubt on big decisions despite a few missteps. [Photo: Kim Klement/USA Today Sports]

First of all, saying who won or lost a trade the day it happens is pointless, especially when that happens in December. It is the culture, though. The same culture that asks who wins a Draft when most players are at least a few years away from ever donning a Major League uniform. There was the fetishization of prospects. There was the uncertainty of an established player. There was little in between.

In truth, there were tons of issues to talk about after this trade that has nothing to do with it and that is what makes the baseball community so great.

• It’s true – people tend to over value prospects. Even though most end up failing and a lot come out of nowhere, people hold on to prospects like hope. Hope is fantastic. Hope is what makes Opening Day great. A prospect never fails. What fails is a Major Leaguer. Prospects are a freshly cut field, a clean sheet of ice.
• Rays fans overcame their shock to the trade by repeating the mantra “Trust the process“. We won’t know if they won or lose the trade for at least a year. But, whether the trade goes well or goes poorly (for both sides), what remains is the process. As Jonah Keri wrote, the Rays process has pulled some bad moves, but you can always go back and correct what went wrong. Doing the right thing but getting the wrong result is admirable. Doing the wrong thing and getting lucky is not a long-term solution. We don’t know what Dayton Moore and his front office were thinking. We don’t know if they over valued James Shields or under valued Wil Myers and the other prospects. All we know is that why the deal was made is more important than the deal itself more often than not. To bring the Washington Nationals into this: The thought process behind the signing of Dan Haren was very good. It was the perfect player for the perfect price for the perfect role. If it doesn’t work out, that’s not necessarily on Mike Rizzo. Bad things can happen but the thinking behind the trade was sound, and that’s even accounting for Haren’s possible health issues.
• A point that was really touched upon after this trade that I really never thought about was the desperation of general managers fighting for their jobs. Last year, the two sexy underdog picks were the Nationals in the National League and the Royals in the American League. What followed was the two complete opposite results. The Nationals lived up to their promise and saw everything go right for a division championship. The Royals had injuries hit, then had their young hitters struggle and fell so far behind that the fact that they avoided the cellar was impressive on its own. If the Royals didn’t get it done this year, a lot of pressure would be put on Moore. So, wins in 2013 are so much more important than future wins that he will trade multiple prospects for players to help this year. Of course, it’s not to say that Moore is not accountable. If this trade doesn’t work out he will lose his job anyways, but it places the long term health of a franchise in the hands of someone with no tomorrow. That can make the general manager a pretty dangerous person. It actually reminds me of a certain 2002 trade between the Montreal Expos and Cleveland Indians. The Expos, facing contraction, traded Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips (along with Lee Stevens) to Cleveland for a half a season of Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew. Colon was then traded for not nearly the haul that the Indians received. This probably the worst case scenario for the Royals and their fans but it shows what damage a win-now philosophy can have on a franchise.

There is definitely a lot of negativity around this trade and that has nothing to do with the results. But what is happening is that people trust the Rays process of doing things. The Royals haven’t got that benefit of the doubt from the baseball world. Is the Royals process right? We have no idea. We don’t even know the Rays process for sure. But the winner and loser of this trade could come down to luck, and it could come down to something no one is thinking about.

What is certain is that crowning winners and losers of trades in December is at best premature and at worst totally simplistic.

Jim Bowden of ESPN reports that the Nationals have officially begun discussing Danny Espinosa and Michael Morse with the Tampa Bay Rays (via Twitter). With the Rays now deep in negotiations to make James Loney their next first baseman, Morse would likely take over in left field, with current left fielder Desmond Jennings assuming BJ Upton’s spot in center field.

The Nationals are reportedly discussing Michael Morse as well as Danny Espinosa with the Tampa Bay Rays as they look to further enhance their starting rotation. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

With the Rays’ 2012 second baseman (Jeff Keppinger) now on the open market, they’re in the market for a replacement, and Espinosa presents a solid option on both sides of the ball. Espinosa could also, in theory, play shortstop if the Rays prefer to shift Ben Zobrist over to second base and feel that Sean Rodriguez and Elliot Johnson can’t hold down the fort.

As far as a potential return goes, it sounds like James Shields and Jeremy Hellickson are the pitchers that the Rays are most actively shopping. However, it sounds like Matt Moore and David Price are also fair game, although the asking price on Price (cue the sarcastic “ha ha”s) is said to be very high.

With the Nationals said to be pursuing Adam LaRoche on the free agent market, it seems as though Morse would be the more likely of the two to go, however, the Nats do have a very solid replacement in Steve Lombardozzi should they choose to deal Espinosa. It seems as though both are very much in play, though that’s just a writer’s speculation.

Please check back on District On Deck as we continue to bring you the latest from this story as well as all the offseason’s biggest news and rumors.