Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - The Seattle Mariners' search for a middle-of- the-order bat finally came to fruition on Wednesday, as the club acquired Washington outfielder/first baseman Mike Morse in a 3-team trade that also included the Oakland Athletics.
The Mariners sent catcher John Jaso to the A's and Oakland shipped three prospects to the Nationals to complete the deal.
The centerpiece of activity was Morse, a 30-year-old power hitter who has averaged 24.5 home runs and 78.5 runs batted in over the last two seasons. He managed a .291 batting average last season while battling a back injury. Morse is returning to the organization he broke in with after a 3 1/2-year hiatus.
His breakout season came in 2011 when he batted .303 with 31 home runs, 36 doubles and 95 RBI in a career-best 146 games. Morse has started games at six different positions during his big-league career.
The 29-year-old Jaso batted .276 with 10 home runs and 50 runs batted in over 108 games (83 starts) for the Mariners last season. Jaso originally came to Seattle in a November 2011 trade with Tampa Bay.
The Nationals received three prospects in the deal led by 6-foot-4 right- handed hurler A.J. Cole, who went 0-7 with a 7.82 earned run average at high-A before thriving later in the season at low-A, posting a 6-3 mark with a 2.07 ERA.
