Twitter
    Sportspress Northwest
    • Football
    • Baseball
    • NCAA
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Basketball
    Twitter
    Sportspress Northwest
    Twitter
    Home » Mariners get Morales from Angels for Vargas
    Baseball

    Mariners get Morales from Angels for Vargas

    SPNW StaffBy SPNW StaffDecember 19, 20125 Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email

    The Mariners finally came up with a middle-of-the-order bat, but it cost them their No. 2 pitcher.

    Acquired from the Angels Wednesday was first baseman/DH Kendrys Morales, 29, who  batted .273 with 22 home runs and 73 RBI in 134 games with the Angels. Gone is Jason Vargas, 29, who led Mariners pitchers with 14 wins last season but as a lefty flyball pitcher, will probably suffer a little when the Safeco Field fences come in for 2013.

    “Kendrys gives us a veteran presence and a proven, middle-of-the-order bat, with power from both sides of the plate,” said Mariners manager Eric Wedge in a club statement. “Adding him to our line-up immediately makes us a better offensive club.”

    Morales has played his entire career with the Angels, batting .281 with 79 home runs and 265 RBI across six MLB seasons (2006-2010, 2012).

    “We have been focused on adding offense this off-season, and feel that Kendrys will be a middle-of-the-order bat for us. He’s a switch-hitter with power who has played, and hit, in the AL West,” general manager Jack Zduriencik said. “He’s familiar with the teams and parks and is a proven run-producer. We hate to part with Jason, and really appreciate everything he’s done for us, but we are in a situation where we had to give up talent to acquire talent.”

    After a career-best season in 2009 in which he recorded 43 doubles, 34 home runs, 108 RBI and finished 5th in the American League MVP voting, Morales was limited to 51 games in 2010 and missed the entire 2011 season. He suffered a fractured lower left leg after jumping on home plate following his walk-off grand slam May 29, 2010 vs. the Mariners. At the time of his season-ending surgery, Morales ranked among the American League leaders, batting .290 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI.

    Morales originally signed with the Angels as an international free agent on Dec. 1, 2004. He defected to the USA on June 8, 2004 after a storied career in the Cuban national program. As a Cuban amateur, he hit .330 (287×871) with 37 home runs and 170 RBI. He was the first teenager to play for the Cuban National Team since Omar Linares in the 1980s.

    Vargas, 29, pitched the last four seasons with the Mariners, combining to go 36-42 with a 4.09 ERA (319 ER, 702.2 IP) in 119 games with 110 starts. The left-hander has logged consecutive 200-inning seasons, combining to go 24-24, 4.04 ERA in 65 starts in 2011-2012. Last season, Vargas led the Mariners in wins, going 14-11 with a 3.85 ERA (93 ER, 217.1 IP), and ranked 4th in the AL with 22 quality starts.

     

    Share. Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email

    Related Posts

    A few musings about sports journalism as the unwinding begins

    February 18, 2022

    Carroll’s staff makeover seeks to get Wilson back in the game

    February 16, 2022

    Arizona loss unmasks truths about Hopkins, UW hoops

    February 15, 2022

    5 Comments

    1. Kage McClued on December 19, 2012 4:28 pm

      Another horrific trade from the team bringing you the flexible ticket price rip off.

    2. one174 on December 19, 2012 5:41 pm

      “Plenty of Ordinary” !!! Wooooo-Hooooo!!! Go M’s!!!
      Sorry Art you’ve come up with their new battle cry…

    3. 1coolguy on December 19, 2012 8:52 pm

      It’s the Mariners, so WHO GIVES A RIP???

    4. 1coolguy on December 19, 2012 8:53 pm

      I saw a Christmas package of Mariners tickets on-line today in either the P-I or the Times – ARE YOU KIDDING? Or maybe buyers will send them to their worst enemies.

    5. Tian Biao on December 19, 2012 9:27 pm

      wow, all these grouchy comments. what, you folks weren’t expecting another lateral move? Another good pitcher for a might-be-good hitter? And let’s stop calling Morales a switch hitter; his numbers from the right side are terrible. oh wait – compared to our guys, his right handed numbers are actually pretty robust. just not compared to anyone on, say, the Angels or the Rangers. oh, and i agree with Kage: the flex pricing thing annoys me too. a lot.

    • Follow @Art_Thiel on Twitter
    Use our affiliate link on Amazon

    Subscribe to Our Weekly Roundup

    Get the top stories sent to your inbox every Thursday.

    Art Thiel on KNKX 88.5FM

    Kirsten Kendrick's Q. & A. with Thiel can be heard every Friday during Morning Edition at 5:45am and 7:45am and again that same day on All Things Considered at 4:44pm. It also airs Saturday at 9:35am.

    Listen now!
    Latest Posts

    A few musings about sports journalism as the unwinding begins

    February 18, 2022

    Carroll’s staff makeover seeks to get Wilson back in the game

    February 16, 2022

    Arizona loss unmasks truths about Hopkins, UW hoops

    February 15, 2022

    Rams win a survivors contest called the Super Bowl

    February 14, 2022
    Twitter
    • Football
    • Baseball
    • NCAA
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Basketball
    © 2023 Sportspress Northwest

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.