Morse Claimed by Baltimore off Revocable Waivers

May 27, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Michael Morse (38) hits a single against the San Diego Padres during the 5th inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Morse started the year off right, he was hitting for power and (for a week or two anyways) was making headlines as Seattle’s own home-run producer. After some injury problems and some outfield shuffling, Morse fell off of the power train and has only slapped two home runs since May 27th.

News broke this morning that Morse has been claimed off of revocable waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.

While there is still a wait to see whether or not a deal can be worked out, I suspect that we will see Morse move in the next few days. Though the way that Morse has been playing lately, I don’t suspect this will be a ground breaking deal. More than likely the M’s won’t get much in return for him at all. Morse could bode well for the Orioles though, as they are in the midst of a tight playoff race. Having an extra bat on board for September would definitely benefit the O’s. Morse could definitely factor in a wild card matchup for the O’s, who are currently 4.5 games back of Oakland.

This deal (or lack thereof) will give us some insight into how the Mariners are planning to line up their outfield next season. Specifically with regards to Dustin Ackley. It seems like a sure thing that Nick Franklin is going to stay at second until something dramatic happens, which puts Ackley either on the bench a-la Brendan Ryan, or floating around center field. I’d like to see Morse head to Baltimore to free up some room for the outfield to get settled. More importantly, I would also like to see what Raul Ibanez is doing next season.

Morse is batting .226/.283/.410 so far this season with only 13 homers and 27 RBIs. While he missed most of July on the DL, he is still under performing since coming to Seattle. The Mariners have 48 hours to decide what to do with Morse.