Morgan out, Michaels in

In what had to be record timing, the Pirates demoted Nyjer Morgan almost immediately after their win over the Giants this afternoon. That wasn't a surprising move as it's one that's been discussed for a week or so now. The surprising part is that the Pirates plucked Jason Michaels off of waivers to replace Morgan on the Major League roster.

I can already see people making a big deal about this, but I don't really see the big deal. Yeah, it's true that Michaels sucks. But who would you rather see in this place? Kevin Thompson? The career AAA guy who's off to a hot start this year? The Pirates know that Nady, Bay, and McLouth are their three best hitters. The team is clearly high on Morgan because they're moving him to AAA to get some at-bats. I don't really share their optimism on Morgan, but this is the right move if they really think he might develop more. My point, though, is that despite being high on Morgan, he's got three starts this year. John Russell (or someone) likes Luis Rivas, but he's mostly disappeared from the field since his awful start. Dougie the Eyechart is friends with Russell, but he doesn't hit and he doesn't play. Jason Michaels is on the team to fill a roster spot as a replacement-type player, to pinch-hit and play twice a month when someone needs a day off. Unless you count Thompson, who I doubt is better than Michaels, the Pirates don't have someone to do that in AAA, because everyone else that's there is someone they want to play. If Nady gets traded and Michaels starts over Pearce, it's a move to get upset over. Until there, I don't really see any reason to worry about this.