I’m ranting right now- it’s past midnight as I’m writing this- but I really believe that baseball’s season size and playoff system are about as good as you’re going to find. In baseball these days, a premium is placed on winning your division. You have 18 or 19 games against each division opponent (and we can say that for everyone now that the Houston Astros moved from the NL Central to the AL West), and you have to prove yourself in those games- but at the same time that’s only a little more than half your schedule and you have to manage to fare well outside the division if you hope to make the playoffs. There are two wild card spots now, but if you’re a wild card team, you’re taking a significant chance, leaving your season up to what essentially a coin flip. But why does the season have to be so long? Why can’t you have a similar ratio of playing teams in your division compared to teams outside as their currently is while playing fewer games? The answer is that when you’re playing 162 games, you’re really earning everywhere you go in the playoffs and beyond. Teams get lucky, sure, but they aren’t bad teams who turn it on when the season actually matters and actually experience magical seasons. The 2012 Baltimore Orioles were a great story- but in any other sport, it would have meant much less what they did, being a wild card team coming out of a tough division after not making the playoffs the previous 14 years. But what, the Orioles should have gone on their unbelievable run, lose in the playoffs, and then watch a team like say the Tampa Bay Rays, who had a nice season and finished well but didn’t deserve to make it after Evan Longoria missed most of the season, win it all or come awfully close because even though their team may not have been deserving of a playoff berth, their pitching was death to the opposition once they got there? In baseball, it seems like only September matters, but truth be told that that’s completely false. If you have a star go down in basketball or hockey but return at the end of the season and are the 7th or 8th best team in your conference, suddenly you’re a team without a great record who nobody wants to play- but why are you in the playoffs to begin with when you were not as good of a team on the year?

Every sports fan has their own cup of tea. But for me I love baseball because the longer seasons make teams really have to earn postseason berths through consistent performance throughout the season and not just a strong finish to get to the tournament (oh God, don’t get me started on March Madness) and see what happens from there. No matter which division you’re in, the end result of the season is that the best teams and the best teams only make the postseason. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were awesome once Mike Trout entered the fold, but they had a horrific April and missed it. How could that be anyone’s fault but their own? Everyone hates when their team faces injuries, but they can happen to anyone and are simply part of the game that teams have to find a way around when they happen, not simply play well once the star comes back, make the playoffs as a low seed, and then wreck havoc once they get there. In baseball, the best team doesn’t always win- but at least the vast majority of the time, the teams who can survie the grind of 162 games make the playoffs and then we see what happens from there. There’s no real strength of schedule, no teams limping in then heating up at the right time- just the teams that are deserving to be there duking it out in the postseason to determine the worthy champion of baseball. The playoffs in football, basketball, and hockey are always very exciting, but what baseball gives me that they don’t is a sense that the teams in the playoffs all deserve to be there- there’s no teams get lucky from an easy schedule like in football and no teams with bad records making the playoffs every season like in basketball and hockey. Is it more fun to watch? Maybe the answer is no. But if you want a true champion and not just a team that got lucky for a while and then heated up in the playoffs, the sport to watch is baseball.

Morales, 29, is in his final year as an arbitration-eligible player after making 2.75 million dollars in 2012, and he’s certainly due for a raise on that, likely into the 4-5 million dollar range. For a player with injury concerns, that can’t be a salary that the Rays would love to pay. However, Morales has been almost completely healthy other than the tibia injury and has flat-out hit over the past four years when healthy, managing a .290/.340/.516 line in 1355 plate appearances with 24.7 homers per 500 plate appearances. He doesn’t have great patience and pitch recognition, striking out 264 times versus just 89 walks as he expanded his zone too often- according to Fangraphs, Morales swung at 35.9% of pitches out of the strike zone in 2012 compared to the 30.8% average. Plate discipline is a clear flaw in Morales’ game, but he compensates with good bat speed that allows him to make quality contact and hit for a solid average along with good power. Though Morales is far from a perfect player, he has the ability to be a strong presence in the middle of the Rays lineup and is definitely a player for the Rays to look into acquiring.

Morales could be a nice player for the Rays, but they would only have him for one year. And while they have been well known for starting pitching, they lost two starters when they dealt James Shields and Wade Davis to the Royals for Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery, and Patrick Leonard. Who would the Rays trade for Morales? Your first thought has to be Jeff Niemann. Niemann is in a very similar contract situation as Morales being a player about to turn 30 who has dealt with manifold injuries the past few years and is arbitration-eligible for the final time this offseason. The primary difference between Morales and Niemann: he’s not nearly as good of a player. In 544.1 major league innings, Niemann is a nice 40-26 but with just a 4.08 ERA, a 99 ERA+ that was basically average, and a 6.8 K/9, a 2.9 BB/9, and a 1.1 HR/9  that amounts to a 4.31 FIP. Even if Niemann could stay healthy, something he hasn’t done since 2009, he’s basically a number four starter, and while he could potentially provide an improvement over the pitchers currently lined up to be the Angels’ 5th starters, Jerome Williams and Garrett Richards, the difference would be marginal. Maybe Niemann could be part of a package for Morales, but a straight-up trade of the two doesn’t make sense for the Angels. Would the Rays instead be willing to trade Alex Cobb or Chris Archer to the Angels for say Morales and catching prospect Hank Conger? That seems unlikely as well because both are under team control for years and the Rays are counting on both of those pitchers to be major pieces of their team moving forward.

What about a trade of a pitching prospect for Morales? The Angels have a need for pitching at the major league level, but a trend just as concerning is that they lack pitching prospects anywhere near the big leagues, with Nick Maronde being a possible exception but even he may fit better as a reliever. While the Angels would love to acquire a good big league starter in a deal for Morales, they might be content acquiring a good pitching prospect. Would the Angels accept a trade of Morales for say Alex Colome or Enny Romero, boh of whom are talented but come with plenty of risk? Even if they would, are the Rays willing to part with a prospect as promising as them for just one year of Morales?

When you look at the Angels’ depth chart, they have no pressing need to trade Morales. He could be their DH and Trumbo could be their right fielder, and the only player really stuck is Bourjos, who didn’t hit at all in 2012 anyway. Unless the Angels find a team willing to deal them a solid big league starting pitcher, they may elect to just hold onto him. For the Rays, they might be interested in Morales, but unless the Angels are content to settle for a pitching prospect in exchange for Morales and the Rays are willing to give such a prospect up, a deal is not going to happen. Maybe a trade is something to revisit if Niemann proves himself healthy and pitches well in spring training, but don’t expect the Rays to acquire Kendrys Morales from the Angels anytime soon.

Angels center fielder Peter Bourjos may be the answer to the Rays’ gap in center field. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Bourjos would provide excellent defensive skills, which the Rays are known for, but his batting skills may not be enough to entice the Rays.  In 2012, Bourjos hit just .220 with 37 hits and 19 RBIs in 101 games. But, his numbers were higher in 2011, when he had more plate appearances and appeared in 147 games, and hit .271 with 136 hits and 43 RBIs. Bourjos also had 22 stolen bases in 2011, versus only 3 stolen bases in 2012.

The twenty-five year old center fielder’s numbers in 2011 are comparable to Rays left fielder Desmond Jennings’ in 2012, who hit .246 with 124 hits and 47 RBIs. Jennings is known for his speed on the base paths, as he recorded 46 stolen bases in 2012. If the Rays do not sign a center fielder during this offseason, Jennings will most likely move to center field with either Sam Fuld playing left field or Matt Joyce moving from right field to left field. If the Rays have to move Joyce to left field, Ben Zobrist would play right field.

The Angels could trade Bourjos to the Rays in exchange for a pitcher, as the Angels are still in need of pitchers after trading Ervin Santana to the Kansas City Royals and free agent Zack Greinke just signed with the Dodgers. But with the Rays trading pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis to the Royals earlier this week, the Rays probably will hold on to the rest of their pitching staff. Other supposed trade deals surrounding Bourjos include the Miami Marlins trading minor league prospects for Bourjos. The Rays are known for stocking their farm teams to cultivate talent for the future, so that trade scenario is unlikely.

While the Rays could use a center fielder, Bourjos’ offensive skills might be too much of a gamble. Without a doubt, the Rays need more power in their lineup, as pitching and defense is how they win most games. However, the Rays cannot afford to buy some of the best hitters on the market, but Bourjos would be an affordable solution to their gap in center field. Bourjos is young and his numbers show promise that his offensive skills can improve. The question is whether or not the Rays want to take the chance and find out.