:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/28336869/20130922_gav_sv5_022.0.jpg)
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Pirates are interested in Kendrys Morales.
Morales fits what the Pirates need, a first baseman/middle of the order hitter. There’s mutual interest, but while the Pirates would love him on the right contract, they may also pursue a first baseman via trade. There are a few possible candidates, including the Mets’ Ike Davis, Toronto’s Adam Lind, Texas’s Mitch Moreland, and even Seattle’s Justin Smoak and Boston’s Daniel Nava and Mike Carp.
If I recall correctly, Neal Huntington said at PirateFest that he likes Morales' bat but has serious concerns about his ability to handle first base. And then there's all the stuff I wrote about here and here -- Morales has serious drawbacks that I'm sure are issues for the Pirates, such as that he contributes nothing in the field or on the bases, that he's posted a WAR above 1.7 exactly once in his career, and that the Pirates would have to give up a first-round pick to get him. I have a very hard time seeing the Pirates signing Morales, unless perhaps the price drops way down, which it won't, because Scott Boras represents him. I'm also not sure I see the Pirates getting Lind at this point, since he occupies a starting position in Toronto. Even Moreland might come at a significant cost.
Cafardo also has some A.J. Burnett stuff that you probably already knew -- he probably isn't going to the Phillies or Orioles and won't want to go west to pitch for the Diamondbacks, which leaves the Pirates and, I guess, the Nationals.
