Yesterday, the Mariners acquired Kendrys Morales from the Minnesota Twins and, in exchange, sent Stephen Pryor packing. It seemed like the writing was on the wall since this offseason, the Mariners wanted their man and they would go ten rounds to get him.
Round 1: The Mariners extend a qualifying offer to Morales during the offseason. If he agrees to the offer, he would earn $12 million on a one year contract. If he doesn’t agree to the offer and signs elsewhere, the Mariners would receive a compensatory draft pick from the signing team.
Round 2: Morales doesn’t accept the Mariner’s offer and doesn’t sign elsewhere.
Round 3: Morales spend the first three months of the season as a free agent, the compensatory draft pick looming over him like a shadow.
Round 4: After a rough April, the Mariners continue to build momentum and find themselves in the midst of a playoff race by June.
Round 5: After the draft in June, Morales is free to sign with another team without having to worry about the compensatory draft pick.
Round 6: Just two days after the draft, Morales signs a prorated $ 7 million, one year contract with the Minnesota Twins.
Round 7: Even though the Mariners are holding a playoff spot in the Wild Card race, its clear that they will need an upgrade to their offense. They’re linked to a number of different names—Marlon Byrd, Ben Zobrist, Billy Butler—but they keep their eye on the prize.
Round 8: Without a Spring Training to get himself ready for the season, Morales sputters out of the gate, hitting just .215 in June.
Round 9: After the All-Star break, the Mariners offensive woes hit an all time high, they’re hitting just .235 as a team.
Round 10: After a long dance, the Mariners finally get their man. The Twins paid him $3 million to play for them for 2 months and get a busted relief prospect in return.
Knowledge: Boats 