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Since the beginning of the season, it has been well assumed that Kendrys Morales would find a home after the Rule 4 Amateur Draft, and it certainly didn't take long for that to be the case. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Morales and the Minnesota Twins have agreed on a one-year deal:
Kendrys Morales reached agreement with the #Twins
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) June 7, 2014
Rhett Bollinger, the beat writer for the Twins, reported that the deal is for a prorated salary in the $12 million range:
The contract for Kendrys Morales is one-year and prorated $12 million. #MNTwins
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) June 7, 2014
Considering that the Twins were not expected to compete in the American League Central, this deal comes as a bit of a surprise. Teams that had recently been rumored to be in on Morales included the Yankees, Royals, Brewers, Mariners, and Rangers, without so much as a whiff of interest from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
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The Twins currently stand at 29-31, which puts them last in the Central, yet only five games back of the division-leading Tigers. In theory, Morales could be a move that might help them make some headway in what has so far been a compressed and competitive division.
Last season, Morales hit .277/.336/.449 for the Mariners, which would have placed him second in all three categories (behind Joe Mauer) among qualified players for the Twins last year. This season, if he were able to replicate similar numbers, he would be second in average, fourth in on-base, and first in slugging, respectively.