The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Thursday afternoon that they have unconditionally released first baseman Michael Morse. He was designated for assignment last week to make room on the roster for reliever A.J. Schugel. Morse went 0-for-8 this season in six games, making one start at first base and pinch-hitting the other five games.
The Pirates will be on the hook for the remaining portion of his $8M salary, with $3.5M of that coming from the Dodgers in the Jose Tabata trade last year. If another team signs him to an MLB contract, they will only be responsible for a pro-rated portion of his salary based on league minimum, which would mean about $460,000 at this point.