Mike Morse, Giants agree to contract

The Giants and outfielder Mike Morse have agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal, according to reports. Morse should be a solid left fielder for a team in need of one. The Giants have needed a left fielder this offseason, and Morse should be a nice option to fill that void. 

Morse, 32 in March, posted a slash line of .215/.270/.381 with 13 home runs, 37 RBI, and a -0.5 WAR in 88 games last season. Morse missed 31 games between June and July last season dealing with thigh strain. Spending time between the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles in 2013, Morse was unable to really get things going in 2013. Morse has been a much better player in the past. 

For his career, Morse has a .281/.334/.473 slash line. His best season came in 2011, when he hit .303/.360/.550 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI in 146 games with the Washington Nationals. Ironically, 2011 was the only year of Morse's career where he received 550+ plate appearances. If the Giants give Morse a full season as starter, it's possible that he delivers better results than he has in the past few years.

The Giants as a team posted the lowest OPS in the MLB from left fielders. They hope Mike Morse can take that spot, and if they give him enough plate appearances, and if he can remain healthy, he just might be able to excel there. If he provides what he did in 2011 (or even near that), he would be a steal for the Giants. A good low-risk, high-reward signing by San Francisco.