WTF to do with Kendrys Morales?

Oh, Kendrys. What’s a team supposed to do?

Morales has found, to put it lightly, a whole new level of struggle during his atrocious start to the 2018 season, and there’s no signs of that changing anytime soon. The soon-to-be 35-year-old is hitting a microscopic .180, nearly .100 points lower than his career average. He has 20 hits ALL season, has posted a horrendous on-base percentage and OPS, is worth negative WAR, and somehow keeps getting even slower on the bases.

And he’s like borderline blind, apparently, which isn’t really ideal for someone trying to whack a speeding, breaking projectile out of mid-air with a stick.

Luckily in baseball, as in life, there’s always options. Some of course make more sense than others, and some won’t even work at all — but it’s always important to explore each with as much diligence as the last.

The Blue Jays can make a few different moves with their struggling, $11-million man, but will they pull the trigger?

Do nothing. This is usually the most viable answer to everything in life, and may be the right way to go in this case, too. But man, I don’t know if the team’s fan base can take another year and a half of this rubbish. If you stick it out, you’re paying $11-million-per for a guy with the same offensive production as John Gibbons is currently providing while taking the spot of literally any cheaper, younger option in the minors waiting for a shot. You’ll have to pay the dude regardless, it’s now a matter of figuring out whether that money is better spent keeping Morales in the lineup or out of it.

Turn him into a pitcher. Fuck it at this point. Morales been useless at the plate and the Jays rotation has been among the worst in the majors. So this move not only frees up a spot in the order for a semi-competent hitter to step in, but Kendrys also has a 0.00 ERA this season, so there’s that. I mean, Toronto could use some bullpen help too, but recently on Yahoo Sports’ Diggin’ In Podcast, Luke Maile claimed that Morales revealed he has an arsenal of four damn pitches — a curveball, cutter and a changeup. We need to see this happen and we need it now.

DFA him. Money. All this move would take is some of that sweet, sweet cash. Hmmmm, you know what Rogers has lots of? Money. Put him on waivers, watch him go unclaimed, send him anywhere, and just feed him his cake as he rides off into retirement. Obviously it’s not ideal to be paying a dude $11 million dollars to rot away in Buffalo or North Korea or Pluto or wherever he ends up, but his roster spot with the big club is much more valuable in the hands off someone else right now. If only there was some 19-year-old phenom in Double-A with a more-than-major-league-ready bat just waiting for a chance to shine to shine in Toronto. I can’t put my finger on anyone.

Pay for his damn laser eye surgery. We’ve the seen glasses experiment and he’s surely tried several things behind the scenes, but Morales’ eye sight is clearly a big issue this season. Former catcher and Yahoo Sports analyst J.P. Arencibia recently mentioned that getting LASIK or a similar type of laser eye surgery like he got in the minors could give the struggling DH a new lease on life at the plate.

“The one thing he told me is — talking about his eye issue — he says he can’t see out of his right eye. which is your dominant eye when you’re batting left. I had a similar problem in 2009, I had a really bad astigmatism and I couldn’t wear contacts — it didn’t help me. I go and get LASIK at the end of the year. Next year I come back and I’m the MVP, and I’m in the big leagues in 2010,” Arencibia said.

“I mean, maybe they put him on the DL, let him go and get a procedure done to fix that eye. It usually takes a month to recover, boom and he’s back. I mean this guy’s a 30-homer plus and 100-RBI guy.”

Not too sure that latter part of that statement still applies to Morales, but he is just two seasons removed from a career-best campaign in 2015 where he captured the Silver Slugger while slashing .290/.362/.485 with 106 RBI. If as an organization your dead set against leaving things how they are or DFAing him, a vision-correcting procedure with the hope he can capture even an ounce of that magic he had with the Royals is really the only option left.

Unless you want to pitch him.