Giants Reach Agreement With Michael Morse – One-year Deal

The San Francisco Giants have signed Michael Morse to a one-year deal reports Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area. Morse, 31, is coming off the worst year of his career. He hit .215/.270/.381 for a 78 wRC+ and -1.6 fWAR in 2013. His in-play batting average dropped precipitously from .339 to .254.

From 2010-12 Morse was much more productive, at least at the plate. He produced a .296/.345/.516 line with a 133 wRC+ that was 21st in baseball in that time. Due to a woeful glove, Morse totaled just 3.5 fWAR in those three years. Other than his 2011 season, Morse has produced -0.5 fWAR in his career.

The Giants are hoping Morse can recover from the wrist injury that plagued him during the 2013 season. He underwent arthroscopic surgery after the season. If the wrist recovers, he should regain some of the pop in his bat.

They plan on starting him in left field, which appears to be a dubious decision given his well-documented defensive struggles. Another option would be to move first baseman Brandon Belt to left field, and play Morse at first.

If Morse can regain his 2010-12 form, he can provide power to a team that hit just 107 home runs. Only the Miami Marlins hit fewer. Still, given his negative value with the glove, it’s unlikely that Morse can have much of a positive impact. Steamer projects a decent .265/.320/.462 line for a wRC+ of 113, but with his defensive deficiencies that comes out to just 0.9 fWAR.

While Gregor Blanco and his career line of .257/.347/.336 may not be very flashy, he’s totaled 5.1 fWAR over the last two years thanks to a good glove and baserunning ability. If Morse and Pence are manning the corner outfield spots, Angel Pagan better be prepared to cover a lot of ground in center. This might not be the best news for flyball pitchers such as Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong.