MLB Rumors: Kendrys Morales won’t sign until after MLB Draft
By Hayden Kane
If you are Kendrys Morales, what’s another two weeks before you finally sign with a team for the remainder of the 2014 season?
The last of the qualifying-offers bunch, the slugging Morales is still without a team. While his limitations to a NL team might have factored in (there is doubt that he can handle playing first base full time), the prevailing factor for each team that has passed on Morales up to this point was likely the compensatory draft pick it would cost them to make such a move.
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That reasoning would be consistent with Nick Cafardo’s report in the Boston Globe Sunday morning that many teams are interested in Morales but none of them will pull the trigger on the move until after next month’s draft (June 5-7). At that point it will no longer cost them an extra pick to sign him.
"“The obvious need is in Texas, where Prince Fielder has gone down. The Pirates and Brewers also need Morales. Teams will wait until after the draft so as to not to give up a pick. The Mariners, Yankees, Orioles, and Blue Jays may also have some interest.”"
Time is short for teams that need to stop their losing ways now if they are going to be contenders: teams like the Rangers, Mariners, and Yankees need to string together wins soon. That urgency does not justify losing a future pick, however, so those teams will likely take their chances that they can stay afloat for a bit longer and then bolster their offense with Morales.
Whichever team does get Morales will eventually get a player capable of hitting 20 home runs and driving in 60-80 runs. For that team it will be a big boost. For Morales, it will be the end of a very frustrating eight months.