Tag Archives: Kendrys Morales

Morales Hits Three Home Runs Against the Detroit Tigers to Set New Royals Record

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It’s one, two, three slams for Kendrys Morales…

The 31-year-old Cuban professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter, who signed a lucrative, two-year deal with the Kansas City Royals last offseason, enjoyed what might have been the best offensive game of his Major League Baseball career, hitting three home runs in his team’s 10-3 win Sunday over the Detroit Tigers.

Kendrys Morales

Morales also hit a triple and set a team record with 15 total bases.

“We expected him to have a great year,” said Royals manager Ned Yost.

Morales homered in the third, fourth and eighth innings, becoming the first Kansas City player to go deep three times in a game since Danny Tartabull against Oakland on July 6, 1991.

Morales ended up scoring five times on the day, but he was on deck when Eric Hosmer flied out and ended the top of the ninth.

The Royals won the American League pennant last year, but they finished last in the majors in home runs. They’ve shown more pop in 2015, thanks in part to Morales, who took over the team lead in homers Sunday with 21. Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez have 20 each.

“It’s not about competition, it’s just about putting up good ABs and everybody doing their part,” Morales said through a translator.

Morales became the second player with 15 total bases in a game this season. Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets did it at Colorado on Aug. 21.

George Brett held the previous Royals record of 14 total bases. He did it in a 16-inning game in 1979.

Volquez Agrees to Two-Year Deal with the Kansas City Royals

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Edinson Volquez has landed a royal deal…

The 31-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher has finalized a $20 million, two-year contract with the Kansas City Royals.

Edinson Volquez

Volquez’s deal includes a mutual option for the 2017 season and was announced this week during a brief news conference at Kauffman Stadium.

The right-handed Volquez, coming off one of the best seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, will make $7.5 million this season and $9.5 million next season. The option year would be worth $10 million and carries with it a $3 million buyout.

“I want to be here and help the team win some games, the way they did last year,” Volquez told reporters. “We did in Pittsburgh, too, but Kansas City went a little bit farther. They almost won the World Series. Why not do it here?”

The Royals have already signed designated hitter Kendrys Morales and outfielder Alex Rios to fill two of their most pressing needs. They also signed pitcher Kris Medlen, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and could help contribute midway through the season.

Volquez fills the last big hole by taking James Shields‘ place in the rotation. Shields became a free agent and it was unlikely the Royals would be able to keep him.

“We know full-well we’ll have to continue to make adjustments on our roster. It’s not a push-button club, it never was,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said recently. “But right now we feel like we’re in a good position to start spring training and to start the season.”

Volquez was an All-Star for the Cincinnati Reds in 2008, going 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA. But he struggled with injuries and inconsistency the next few seasons, and started bouncing around the league.

He spent 2012 and part of the 2013 season with the San Diego Padres, finished up that season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then joined Pittsburgh last season, where he seemed to resurrect his career.

Volquez went 13-7 with a career-best 3.04 ERA, and his 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio was among the best of his career. Volquez also ended the season with a career-best 18 straight scoreless innings, and had a 1.08 ERA in September.

Volquez was 9-1 with a 1.85 ERA after June 23, spanning his final 17 starts.

Volquez should slot into a starting rotation that includes young fireballer Yordano Ventura, left-handers Danny Duffy and Jason Vargas and veteran right-hander Jeremy Guthrie.

Morales Agrees to Lucrative, Two-Year Deal with the Kansas City Royals

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Kendrys Morales has landed a royal MLB deal…

The 31-year-old Cuban professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter has reportedly agreed to a $17 million, two-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, according to the Associated Press.

Kendrys Morales

The AP source spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to Morales passing a physical.

Morales is expected to take over at designated hitter for Billy Butler, who left as a free agent and agreed to a lucrative deal with the Oakland Athletics.

Morales will get $6.5 million next year and $9 million in 2016. The deal includes an $11 million mutual option for 2017 with a $1.5 million buyout.

Morales can make an additional $750,000 in performance bonuses in each of the first two seasons based on plate appearances: $50,000 for 375 and $100,000 apiece for 400 and each additional 25 until 550.

Morales’s deal comes despite a poor performance last season.

He hit just .218 with eight homers and 42 RBIs in 98 games with the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners. Those numbers were far below his career average of .271, and a shadow of his best year with the Los Angeles Angels, when he hit .306 with 34 homers in 2009.

Just two years ago, though, Morales hit .277 with 23 homers for Seattle.

Morales Returning to the Seattle Mariners

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It didn’t take long for Kendrys Morales to make a Mariner change…

The 31-year-old Cuban professional baseball player, who joined the Minnesota Twins in June, is joining the Seattle Mariners.

Kendrys Morales

Morales was acquired from the Twins in a trade for relief pitcher Stephen Pryor.

The deal marks a return to Seattle for Morales, who led the team in batting average (.277), hits (167), doubles (34) and RBIs (80) last season and set a club record for a switch-hitter with 23 home runs.

“He’s a professional hitter,” said Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon. “He gives us the opportunity to stretch out our lineup, so to speak. He’s a nice fit, switch-hitter, hitting behind Robbie (Cano).

“He gives us options, what we want to do with (Kyle) Seager, where we want to hit him. I like it.”

Morales became a free agent after rejecting a $14.1 million qualifying offer from Seattle last November. With his market hindered by the burden of draft-pick compensation, he failed to generate interest until after the first-year player draft passed in early June. On June 8, Morales signed with Minnesota for about $7.4 million — or the prorated portion of $12 million.

Seattle is competing for a playoff spot despite ranking last in the American League with a .673 OPS and 13th in runs scored with 396. Morales will upgrade Seattle’s designated hitter contingent, which has a .569 OPS with eight home runs in 352 at-bats.

Morales was hitting .234 with one home run in 39 games with Minnesota.

“We know what Kendrys is, we know his career as a hitter, we know what he did here and now that he’s in a pennant race … I think we all feel that Kendrys is going to hit his stride and be the Kendrys Morales we all know,” said Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik.

Morales is scheduled to join the Mariners on Friday, at which point the team will make a corresponding move with its 25-man roster.

Morales Reportedly Signs with the Minnesota Twins

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Kendrys Morales is heading to the Land of 10,000 Lakes…

The 30-year-old Cuban professional baseball player has reportedly reached a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins, according to ESPN.

Kendrys Morales

Morales’ deal is less than “but in the ballpark” of the $10 million contract that Stephen Drew signed with the Boston Red Sox in May, says the ESPN source.

The agreement was first reported by CBSSports.com.

Morales, a first baseman and designated hitter, hit .277 with 23 home runs and 80 RBIs with the Seattle Mariners last season.

In Minnesota, Morales is expected to spend a majority of his time as the club’s designated hitter.

Morales, who made his Major League Baseball debut in May 2006, played only 51 games in 2010 and missed the entire 2011 season with the Los Angeles Angels after injuring his leg while celebrating a walk-off grand slam. He’s a career .280 hitter with 102 homers and 345 RBIs in 620 games.

Cruz Signs a One-Year, $8 Million Contract with the Baltimore Orioles

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Nelson Cruz has eight million reasons to sing like an oriole…

The 33-year-old Dominican professional baseball star, a free agent, has agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles, according to ESPN and multiple sources.

Nelson Cruz

An ESPNdeportes.com source reports that Cruz’s deal also includes $750,000 in incentives. If the deal is completed, Cruz would become the Orioles’ primary designated hitter.

Cruz is one of several free agents whose signability has been hurt this offseason because they turned down qualifying offers from their previous teams, meaning the club signing them would lose a top draft pick.

However, the Orioles surrendered their first-round pick earlier this week when they signed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. So signing Cruz would only cost Baltimore a second-round pick — the 55th overall choice in the 2014 draft.

The Orioles also had previously lost a “competitive-balance pick” between the first and second rounds, because they included it in last July’s trade with Houston for pitcher Bud Norris.

Cruz also has been linked to the Seattle Mariners, New York Mets and his former team, the Texas Rangers. Meanwhile, the Orioles have been talking to both Cruz and free agent first baseman Kendrys Morales, but have zeroed in on Cruz in recent days.

Cruz batted .266 with 27 home runs and 76 RBIs in 109 games with the Rangers last season before serving a 50-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal.

A two-time All-Star outfielder, Cruz has 157 career home runs and would bolster a Baltimore lineup that already features Chris Davis, Adam Jones and Manny Machado.

Cruz, who has spent the last eight seasons with the Rangers, is one of seven right-handed hitters in baseball who have hit at least 20 home runs in each of the last five seasons.