Blue Jays: Why they haven’t cut Kendrys Morales just yet

Despite struggling worse than anyone could have feared, Kendrys Morales is still on the Blue Jays roster. Here is a rough explanation for why that may be.

I don’t blame Blue Jays fans for being frustrated at seeing Kendrys Morales’ name still in the lineup with semi-regularity. Without attacking the guy, he’s been downright awful in 2018, and fans have a right to expect more out of a player being paid eight figures in professional baseball.

With the poor performance has come a near-daily call for him to be designated for assignment. We’ve talked about it here at Jays Journal, and it’s been widely discussed on most of the outlets related to the Blue Jays. The reality is, the soon to be 35 year old is hitting .152./.248/.272, and with zero defensive value it’s pretty hard to justify his roster spot. Add in the fact that he’s getting paid 11 million this season (and has 12 million owed for 2019), and that’s why fans are so frustrated.

It’s too bad because Morales really seems like a well liked presence in the clubhouse, and he’s had a pretty solid career spanning 12 seasons in the big leagues. Unfortunately though, he just hasn’t performed well enough to justify his contract since becoming a Blue Jay, and this year he hasn’t even hit well enough to warrant putting in the lineup.

Baseball is a ruthless business at times, evidenced by the fact that Jose Bautista is playing for Atlanta after having signed a minor league deal. With that in mind, why haven’t the Blue Jays just cut their losses with Morales and moved on? Here are a few reasons it hasn’t happened so far.