Pirates trade for Justin Morneau,Indians add Jason Kubel

The Pittsburgh Pirates are fighting for a division title,the Cleveland Indians are battling for a wild card berth.
Both teams could use a jolt of offense for the stretch run and the postseason and both made final attempts to bolster rosters before the final deadline with additions of former big bats that could be huge additions for the stretch run.

The Pirates added former MVP Justin Morneau to their lineup with a trade with the Minnesota Twins that saw the price backup outfielder Alex Presley head to the Twin Cities along with a player to be named later or cash considerations after the season.
The fact that it is a player or cash makes me think that the Twins would not be receiving a top prospect in this swap,which makes the trade pretty low risk.

Editors Note: The player to be named later will be AAA reliever Duke Welker,according to Tim Williams at Pirates Prospects.
Welker is a nicer prospect than I expected,but at 27 years old,his loss is nothing to get upset about either.
Actually,my best memory of the former second rounder is his yelling at a singer in State College!

The 32 year old Morneau is hitting .259 with 17 homers and 74 RBIs in the campaign,but has hit nine homers in August and will slot in at first base.
Keep in mind that Morneau is not the MVP of years past,but with his bat heating up and the low cost of a reserve outfielder,this is not a gamble-it is more like a move that bolsters a contender.
Morneau is strictly a rental as he hits the market at the end of the season,which is why the cost of Alex Presley was the price paid.
Give Neal Huntington and the Pirates this-they are doing what their fan base wants-going for the title and yet from what they have moved,not throwing away top prospects for a run....

The Indians might have used Justin Morneau,but apparently were not interested as they allowed Morneau to clear waivers through the American League.

Cleveland preferred to add a former bomber that has struggled this year in the National League as the Indians added Jason Kubel from Arizona.
Kubel's cost was a player to be named later or cash,so adding a player that hit 30 homers just a year ago is not really risky.
The lefty swinger will play outfield,DH a little and pinch hit off the bench and the Indians hope to get Kubel back on track for a team desperate for a stick.
The Indians will hold a 7.5 million option for Kubel for 2014,which they would be unlikely to pick up unless the 31 year old really excelled over the final month.
Low risk,high reward for Kubel and I cannot blame the Indians for giving this a try,my question is that why the Indians did not try more.
If the Indians fall short of the playoffs,that lack of an attempt might be the reason why...