LoMo Files a Grievance

Logan Morrison has officially filed a grievance against the Marlins for his August demotion to Triple-A New Orleans. From Amy K. Nelson of ESPN.com:

Morrison and his agent, Fred Wray -- along with the players' union -- believed the demotion was a form of discipline without just cause, so they filed the grievance Aug. 25, two days after he was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans.

"I'm doing this because I'm standing up for what's right," Morrison told ESPN.com this week. "If I thought it was because of my performance on the field, then I wouldn't be filing a grievance."

I am not familiar with MLB and the players' union's rules regarding grievances, so I cannot provide more than superficial commentary here. But it seems like the burden of proof will be on Morrison to prove that his demotion was unjust. And while the Marlins' reasoning for the demotion (he was not hitting well) is a tad flimsy, Morrison was hitting .240 at the time.

His slash line in 2011 (.252/.333/.468 at the moment) is down from last season (.283/.390/.447) - though he is slugging a few points higher. His BB% is down to 10.1% from 14.3% while his K% is up to 18.6% from 17.8%. Morrison can blame bad luck for some of the production (his BABIP is down 78 points to .273 from .351 in 2010) - but if the Marlins say they did not like what they were seeing from him at the plate, it would be hard to make a convincing argument otherwise. He certainly is not the first hitter to have been demoted for a .240 average, and he won't be the last, either.

As so often happens, the Marlins will probably lose this case in the proverbial court of public opinion, but that is not where this grievance will be heard, so I bet they end up in the clear.