On a positive note, I will get to see the other half of our AAAA split squad in Durham on Wed/Thurs. looking forward to seeing Willingham, Mastro, Hicks, Esco, Parm, etc... for 1/3 of the price.
Yes, of course they will place him on waivers if he doesn't get traded. They do that with everyone. Some team probably thinks that his recent performance isn't indicative of his potential value and will place a claim on him.
How Morneau stacks up against other 1B in MLB (among statistically qualified): AVG: 13th of 24 OBP: 19th of 24 SLG: Dead last OPS: Dead last RBI: 14th (though the Twins pathetic lineup doesn't help) HRs: 29th Fielding %: 2nd of 21 Range Factor: 1st of 21 So, it looks like his bat really is among the worst for the type of hitting that most teams want out of their first baseman. However, it looks like his fielding is among the best.
Something to think about: We have already struck out more this year than in 2007. We are averaging 8.28 strike outs per game. At that rate, we will finish the season with 1341 strike outs, beating our previous team record by 220.