On the surface, Morneau looks like a fantastic candidate to give the club the production they covet at first base.
Morneau's storied career will assuredly rank him among the best players to ever wear a Twins uniform. His accolades include:
- 2006 AL MVP
- 4 time AL All Star
- 2008 MVP Runner Up
- 2 Silver Sluggers
- 2008 Home Run Derby Champion
The 32 year old Morneau is a free agent after this season and the Pirates would have to part with a promising prospect, like Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow would get the deal done, but is a half season of an aging 32 year old Morneau worth the deal?
Parting with quality prospects could hinder the Pirates sustainability plan - Draft well, develop talent, and build a prospect pipeline to Pittsburgh. Also, 32 year old Jones is notorious for heating up in the second half of the season. Last season, Jones was arguably the Pirates 2nd half MVP as he hit .279 with 15 HR and 49 RBI after the All Star break.
Morneau's production has diminished over the last couple of years, but he's still capable of playing every day at first base. Surprisingly, he hasn't been that much more productive than Jones (considering he has 78 more plate appearances).
Morenau - 2013
Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG
2013 MIN 86 366 330 38 90 23 0 7 52 25 62 .273 .331 .406
Jones - 2013
Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG
2013 PIT 86 288 265 27 67 18 1 8 35 18 69 .253 .302 .419
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/18/2013
When comparing stats, Morneau doesn't appear to be significant enough of an upgrade to part with a prospect like Glasnow. However, if acquiring Morneau meant that Garrett Jones would then platoon with Jose Tabata in RF, this deal could make a lot of sense. The Pirates could kill two birds with one stone (1B/RF) while strengthening the bench (Gaby Sanchez).
This trade could potentially improve two positions of need for the Pirates. Morneau could be the right player to help the Pirates stay in contention in the NL Central.
