Kendrys Morales likes Minnesota, could stick with Twins long-term
Kendrys Morales hasn’t played well since signing a year-long deal with the Minnesota Twins last month, but that may not stop the veteran first baseman from re-upping with the team long-term. According to Morales’ agent, Scott Boras, the 31-year-old likes the fit in Minnesota and is considering staying beyond this season:
Talked w/ Scott Boras. Gushed about how much Morales likes it here. Said a long-term marriage is certainly in play. #mntwins
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) July 14, 2014
Morales signed a prorated one-year, $12 million deal with the Twins in early June to help the team’s struggling offense through injuries. It hasn’t been a particularly successful venture, as Morales has batted .229/.254/.328 with one home run over 138 plate appearances this season.
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That apparently hasn’t stopped Minnesota from showing interest in signing a long-term deal with the slugger, and now he’s reciprocating, although that’s not particularly surprising given the numbers he’s putting up. While his market won’t be impacted by draft pick compensation like it was last offseason, he’s not doing much to help his value by playing at a sub-replacement level.
In 2013, Morales was much better with the Seattle Mariners, batting .277/.336/.449 with 23 homers and 80 RBI over 657 plate appearances. If he can rebound to something resembling that performance for Minnesota, he would be a huge boost to an offense that’s lacked pop most of the season.
The Twins are 10.5 games out of first place in the AL Central, but still stand a remote chance in the AL Wild Card race. They’re 6.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners, who currently own the second AL Wild Card spot.