Author Topic: Report: Brandon Morrow for Brandon League (Read 8537 times)

JoeCarter29 · « **on:** December 21, 2009, 11:28:07 PM »

According to Ken Rosenthal there is a tentative deal in place: Brandon Morrow for Brandon League and a prospect. If both pass their physicals it sounds like the deal will be official.

Morrow would give the Jays some versatility as he can start and close. Most likely the Jays would want him in the rotation.

gosensgo101 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 21, 2009, 11:34:36 PM »

I was (blindly) hoping it was Overbay who got sent the other way when I read this, oh well. I wonder who the prospect is, hopefully nobody too important.

League lost a couple miles per hour off his fastball, but he still consistantly puts it in the high nineties. Its not his velocity that makes it a nasty pitch when he can control it though, its the downright nasty movement he can get on it.

Somehow, he's just more hitable than his stuff says he is, and he doesn't have great control. We've all been expecting him to break out and become a dominant reliever for years now, I guess the Jays' brass are growing impatient.

I'm assuming Morrow would start for us considering out weak rotation.

otto · « **Reply #2 on:** December 21, 2009, 11:53:56 PM »

I don't like this deal. I always thought League had the best arm in our pen. Sure, he was Jekyll and Hyde but I always thought he was about to get his crap together. Closer stuff.

And we give up a prospect? For a guy who hasn't really been made a starter and has a WHIP over 1.4?

Say it ain't so.

royhalladay32 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 22, 2009, 12:07:05 AM »

We were all waiting for League to put it all together, but he was very streaky. If he had no control, doesn't matter how hard he throws.

Depends on who the + prospect is, but I thought Mariners loved Morrow.
I guess Jays get a little bit more some service time too.

gosensgo101 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 22, 2009, 12:13:32 AM »

Any ideas on the prospect? I wouldn't be surprised if David Cooper got dealt since we have Wallace now.

djfreebodyremix · « **Reply #5 on:** December 22, 2009, 12:14:18 AM »

i think this is a fair deal. he's got good enough stuff to close and has the mental ability to do it. he's prob our long term solution at closer. league may have better stuff but all the talent in the world ain't worth jack if you can't utilize it on a regular basis. morrow is also younger than league too.

Jayzfan79 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 22, 2009, 12:37:55 AM »

I see nothing wrong with this. If I recall, people were hoping we would get morrow in the halladay deal so he obviously must have had some worth then. Anyways, I liked league but he was way to inconsistant in previous years. I can't count how many times he came in and gave up walk after walk only to give up that big hit or home run. He had great stuff, but just couldn't harness it. Hopefully he can turn it around in seattle...just couldn't do it here....except the latter part of '06 when he split time with accardo setting up BJ.

ham · « **Reply #7 on:** December 22, 2009, 01:58:12 AM »

reserve judgement until the prospect is identified.

The Game · « **Reply #8 on:** December 22, 2009, 03:22:36 AM »

Brandon League had some of the best peripherals in the game last year for a reliever (I'm guessing that's why Jack Z and his people targeted him). He's going to be an elite reliever, and it's going to happen soon. That said, if Morrow turns out to be a quality starter, this deal will be well worth it (unless the prospect is somebody of value).

Mariners fans seem to be overrating Morrow a bit, as they've thrown out names like Snider and Wallace as the "prospect" on a couple of sites I've seen.

The Game · « **Reply #9 on:** December 22, 2009, 03:24:32 AM »

Quote from: djfreebodyremix on December 22, 2009, 12:14:18 AM

i think this is a fair deal. he's got good enough stuff to close and has the mental ability to do it. he's prob our long term solution at closer. league may have better stuff but all the talent in the world ain't worth jack if you can't utilize it on a regular basis. morrow is also younger than league too.

If Morrow only turns into a reliever, this deal makes no sense at all for the Jays. League already has way better control than him.

The Mariners clearly don't think Morrow has a future starting, while the Jays thinks the opposite.

corpusse · « **Reply #10 on:** December 22, 2009, 04:20:29 AM »

Quote from: The Game on December 22, 2009, 03:24:32 AM

If Morrow only turns into a reliever, this deal makes no sense at all for the Jays. League already has way better control than him.

The Mariners clearly don't think Morrow has a future starting, while the Jays thinks the opposite.

Assuming he makes it as a starter and the prospect isn't someone too important this is a fair deal imo.

League may be on the verge of getting it together but he's also on the verge of getting expensive. Morrow they will control an extra year. Leagues's peripherals are very good, but they are not among the best good. the 8 home runs he gave up was one of his biggest problems.

Rounding 3rd · « **Reply #11 on:** December 22, 2009, 07:52:18 AM »

It's a shame if Leaguey goes because he has the stuff to be a legitimate top tier lockdown closer, but Morrow has huge upsides and could be a dominant starter.

Krylian · « **Reply #12 on:** December 22, 2009, 07:56:57 AM »

Quote from: gosensgo101 on December 21, 2009, 11:34:36 PM

I was (blindly) hoping it was Overbay who got sent the other way when I read this, oh well. I wonder who the prospect is, hopefully nobody too important.

League lost a couple miles per hour off his fastball, but he still consistantly puts it in the high nineties. Its not his velocity that makes it a nasty pitch when he can control it though, its the downright nasty movement he can get on it.

Somehow, he's just more hitable than his stuff says he is, and he doesn't have great control. We've all been expecting him to break out and become a dominant reliever for years now, I guess the Jays' brass are growing impatient.

I'm assuming Morrow would start for us considering out weak rotation.

Morrow's fastball in the 93-96 range when he's starting. In the pen he was in the 97-98 range and the odd time would hit triple digits. His fastball also has good movement. Sounds a lot like Brandon League to me in terms of "stuff". Morrow also has a quality splitter as his 2nd pitch just like League and lacks a third pitch (although he has been working on a curveball which has shown good break and sits in the mid 80's).

AA seems to be going after a lot of former 1st rounders, as Morrow was chosen 5th overall in 2006.

number17 · « **Reply #13 on:** December 22, 2009, 08:31:06 AM »

Apparently, the prospect going the other way is likely to be Arencibia. (I have no link, just someone on a minor league site saying this is what he "heard".)

Still not a bad deal if Morrow can come in a be a solid starter for a couple of years. League was nothing, and with D'Arnaud we have a prospect at that position. The thing about JPA is that people kept saying that he was such a terrible defensive catcher, that he would need to be a 1B/DH anyway. (Wallace, Lind, Cooper, maybe Snider all fit that bill already.)

An interesting move.

Blacksheep · « **Reply #14 on:** December 22, 2009, 08:44:19 AM »

My response is "shrug - eh." Seems like an even trade off, at least until we know the prospect. Either one could put it together one day, but both are likely to wallow in mediocrity for the rest of their days as well, here's hoping we get the one who turns it around.

billgill · « **Reply #15 on:** December 22, 2009, 08:46:39 AM »

i wouldn't doubt it would be one of our glut of 1b/dh prospects (throw ruiz and dopirak into that group). morrow, as long as the jays use him as a starter, is far more valuable than league. he has a chance to be a #3 (or even #2) on this team and is controllable for something like 5 years.

billgill · « **Reply #16 on:** December 22, 2009, 08:58:02 AM »

wow. reading some reactions by mariners fans and found this gem:

"I actually think that Z [mariner's gm jack zduriencik] got fleeced even IF he got Snider or Wallace."

bizarre.

Blacksheep · « **Reply #17 on:** December 22, 2009, 09:00:31 AM »

Quote from: billgill on December 22, 2009, 08:58:02 AM

wow. reading some reactions by mariners fans and found this gem:

"I actually think that Z [mariner's gm jack zduriencik] got fleeced even IF he got Snider or Wallace."

bizarre.

Are Mariners fans retarded? I'm sorry, if they got either of those two, they would have pulled off the heist of the decade.

billgill · « **Reply #18 on:** December 22, 2009, 09:16:11 AM »

they freaking love morrow, that's for sure. alot of them genuinely believe that wallace, snider or drabek should be included in the deal. geoff baker of the seattle times has even come out and said 'i'm told it's not wallace' are you kidding me? do you really have to be told that? i would hope it's common sense. regardless, it seems the jays are getting a great deal here and if it costs dopirak, ruiz or cooper, i'd still be happy.

number17 · « **Reply #19 on:** December 22, 2009, 09:33:32 AM »

mlbtraderumors.com has it as Zach Stewart now . . . this would be a terrible deal for the Jays. Why give up an upside starter for an upside starter AND a cheap, young reliever who hasn't reached his potential? I mean, I guess Morrow will be the Jays ace this year (despite only 10 starts last year), but still . . . weird. I'd much rather give up Arencibia, Cooper etc. or I wouldn't do the trade at all.

Why can't they just announce the whole thing at once? I suppose it makes us check their websites every half hour, which makes the advertisers happy.