jonnylons

I dont think the Cubs will want JP because of his contract status and the fact that he is slightly overrated to anyone who knows baseball. You like the guy, but his production is not as fantastic as it would seem. That said, we could deal Castillo and get Pie and more. That would start things up, I am sure.

Hands up who really *didn't* see this current situation coming? Be honest now... I don't think they will leave town and I'm looking forward to seeing this young team next year. You're right, it'll be up and down, but a season around the .500 mark shouldn't be out of the question, even though that will probably mean dead last in the NL East. just to point out the marlins only finished 4 games above .500 in 2004 and 2005 so... who knows, but we had josh carl and aj at the end of 2004 and delgado last year so...we'll see, should be fun to watch and good post jonny. Actually, that is a great point. The Marlins had a big time payroll (by their standards) and only saw themselves stay 4 games over .500 at the end of it all. That is not worth it. In fact, they should have been the best team in the NL East last season and gone on to the playoffs - and that is not 'homerism' but truth in terms of just looking at the talent on paper. Of course the Marlins had to do this - if they made the playoffs and made some extra bread - we have seen some minor changes. But in actuality, this team could perform about the same and cost a fraction of what it did last season - that is smart business.

Sorry if I am not wearing all black these days for the Marlins franchise. I think now we are finally starting to play hardball. The politicians in Miami are idiotic. We all know this. But the Marlins FO and Loria thought they could persuade the fans that they were going to build a legitimate contender each year and demonstrate stability by doing that. And then, the fans woudl come back. The problem isn't just the fans - it goes a little further than that. Like one of the most criminal leases in all of sports and an inconveniently located stadium in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do other than go to the game. Rain and weather does have an impact on that. So, with the Marlins finally showing they dont have the money to keep going like this, they decide to purge the roster of its high-priced (and arguably overvalued) talents in order to demonstrate their dire need. And now, los politicos may actually start to understand the situation. And so will their voters. The bluff is being called. No more Mr. Nice Loria. But on the field, I am even more excited. We are getting back some SICK young talent that can contribute as early as next year. Jacobs, Hermida, Cabrera - all these guys are young, impact hitters that project to have some very good numbers. Petit and Sanchez are highly touted pitching prospects that can go along with our already deep and talented pitching pool. Joe Girardi brings a great attitude with an expectation on winning. What is more, he was supposed to cultivate a winning attitude here BEFORE the purge and his task is still the same now. The upside is, he wont have to navigate through any possible veteran sentiments to do it. I dont know, I think this team is going to be very competitive and surprise a lot of people. No, I am not expecting a miracle of getting into the World Series or even the playoffs. But looking at the Braves the last several years has me thinking, why not? This team has loads of talent. It is young which means it will be inconsistent, but there is plenty to be excited about as both the on field game will be fun to watch as well as watching all the negotiations that will be stepped up over the next year for this franchise to finally get the facility it deserves.

I think we get 80 wins so 80-82. Why? Girardi is a hell of a manager. This team will start to gel after the ASB and take off. Willis is a stud, we know that. Vargas is a very smart pitcher AND can hit - I sense much Willis in him. Johnson showed me a lot back in Sept. Olsen has big time stuff, but will make mistakes. And will Petit or Sanchez start? If we can get a strong bullpen in place, we may bail out our starters enough to make things interesting. I think our offense is goign to be scary good. Hermida, Jacobs and Cabs have filthy bats. If we can keep Luis and plop Ramirez in the lineup, we may see something like we did back in '03 with JP and Luis. We have enough assets STILL to trade in Lo Duca and JP to get something of immediate value.

I know that this is a plug, but I cant help it - miamiheatzone.com. We have been covering this in depth for a long, long time now.

I agree. If Mike Lowell doesnt win the gold glove, something is wrong. Because it will come down to his lack of stats (which we all know he has been doing pretty well since July...).

Easley will do. Besides, AGon is back Sunday. Made a pinch hit appearance tonight and looked like his old self (yikes...).

Check out my sig... And yes, it is for AJ...(but will get this rally started, finally)

That could be one of the bone-headedists moves of our organization.? 878775[/snapback] why? Up until this year he hadnt even made it to AAA. His career batting average is somewhere near .250. He was our 1998 first round pick. B U S T 878782[/snapback] Good points :thumbup 879154[/snapback] And it only attests to how good this club has had it with the FO. Thanks for making my point for me, Ramp...once again. :thumbup

That could be one of the bone-headedists moves of our organization. Oh well, cant win them all...

Does anyone remember who we dealt Ambres for? Or did we? I just know he was dealt to KC for Graffinino...and he is doing pretty well for KC right now.

When was the last time a team that was in last place this late in the season stood pat at the deadline and made the playoffs?? :plain 873915[/snapback] I believe the proposal to stand pat refers to not trading AJ. That doesn't preclude the possibility of trading elsewhere, like giving up one of our pitching prospects in return for a quality reliever/closer. 873957[/snapback] That's a good point, Chewie. Maybe I should have been more specific with my title - PierreMVP got it right though. I was intending it to be meant for not trading AJ, Mike, or firing (gulp) Jack or Bill Robinson. I think we could stand to benefit from another bullpen arm, although with Valdez back and AA coming back, I dont think that is absolutely vital, either. (In other words, dont give up the farm to make a deal for now - especially with AJ leaving AFTER the season) And if we follow this reasoning, we actually may not make a move at all. This team has the talent in-house to win right now. They just have to start executing.

The other thing, which I didnt mention here and we were discussing 'elsewhere', was the Barry Zito factor. Zito was struggling and that young core of pitching talent around him was doing pretty well. I was hoping to see us flip AJ Burnett and somehow land Zito in the process. Of course, you can kiss that idea good bye now that Zito - and the A's - are hot hot hot.

good writing but I would still trade AJ. He's gone after this year and I think we can win without him right now. 873859[/snapback] I can see your point. We did win the WS without him in '03. We have a better offense this year than we did then. A better bullpen than we did then. And even a similar rotation - without AJ. But the NL East is stronger overall this year. And the 2nd place team in the NL East is most likely going to be the WC winner. The attrition rate may be a factor. And that is why I think keeping AJ - and getting basically nothing in return - may be the best thing for this team's chances at winning. Of course, we win and lose AJ, there is going to be some public frustration, too.

It is funny because I just wrote a blog about this very same thing. I say "stand pat" on AJ and Lowell and even Jack and Robinson. I know the latter two may be more enraging, but when a team starts to win, you dont want to change thigns around on ANY level. The Marlins have the talent and with AJ they have a better chance to win. Nothing they are getting in return will equal AJ's talent. And even with Lowell gone, that only opens up a hole in the OF (sure, we could stick Conine out in LF in the meantime, even call up Hermida). The problem is, anyone we stick out in LF can not match Lowell's #'s of previous seasons. Not at the moment. And even if Lowell continues to struggle we still have a chance. But he is just tooooo good of a hitter to hit .230 all season. And he is coming around - hitting .320 with 1 HR and 7 RBIs over his last 7 games. No coincedence that we are winning more often, too.

I wrote this blog and wanted some feedback from some of you guys here...check it out: Best approach: stand pat The options for a deal for AJ Burnett has gotten more narrow - despite his recent success and the fact that the Marlins seem to be leaning towards taking Lowell out as part of the attachment for any deal. It seems the Red Sox and the White Sox are in a bidding war, right now, for Burnett. But the only piece of laundry that AJ should be wearing is a jersey that has "Marlins" written across the front. I know, I know. You are probably thinking why I had a change of heart. I haven't. I always have liked and respected AJ's talent; it was just his inconsistency that drives me crazy. And his seemingly poisoned tongue that looks to slash at this organization. But winning and hope can change things - or at least put them on hold. AJ is gone after this season. No doubt. The Marlins know this, AJ knows this, the Yankees know this. The debate is or has always been, should the Marlins trade AJ and at least get something for him in return? To lose Pavano for sandwich picks in the amateur draft is ok; but to do it two years in a row? And for a talent like AJ Burnett? Not exactly capatilizing on his value for this franchise. Of course, there is another way to define value. If the Marlins can pull it together and get into the playoffs, they have a very good chance of winning the whole gosh-darned thing with AJ and Beckett taking the ball. Just ask the DBacks how Randy and Schilling fared for them in the playoffs a few years back. Or even the Cubs when Wood and Prior are healthy. The fact is, teams that excell in the post season have fireballers in their rotations and in their pens. I see the Braves nodding in the back of the room. So yes, to keep AJ means you will lose him for basically nothing at the end of the season. But to keep him means you risk winning it all. You are in a better position to do so with AJ here than by trading him - no matter how successful you think Jason Vargas will be or any other call up. And with Dontrelle hitting a rough patch, this may be the most approriate time to hold onto AJ. For the Marlins, standing pat is the best situation. It only assures a greater possibility of winning for this team and there really isnt a knock down deal for AJ out there. And when the Marlins attach Lowell's contract the focus is less about talent but more about contract flexibility. This means the talent that will be netted in return is less likely to contribute at the current level already in-house. As for Lowell, I dont think dealing him may be in the best interest from a PR perspective let alone he is starting to hit the ball again (over his last 7 games he is 8/25 with 1 HR and 7 RBI). With the Marlins moving up in the wild card standings while only going 5-5 on this road trip and the recent offensive explosion, it seems both Jack McKeon and Bill Robinson have managed to secure their jobs for the meantime. Maybe all of this is a sign. Maybe it is just dumb luck. Maybe, it is time for the Marlins to finally rise to the occasion. Either way you look at it, standing pat keeps the possibility for it to continue in place.

What does Ferreira have to do with this? And what side is he on, for that matter...

2003 magic is about to come pouring back in. It can only come pouring back if I bring it back... :cool (recalls the '03 wildcard thread watch that was initiated by jonnylons):mischief 867127[/snapback] Juanky, you're my boy!

2003 magic is about to come pouring back in. 866449[/snapback] It can only come pouring back if I bring it back... :cool (recalls the '03 wildcard thread watch that was initiated by jonnylons) 866982[/snapback] I remember showing that to my dad the first time you posted that. He said no freakin' way. Boy was he wrong. :mischief 867047[/snapback] :whistle

2003 magic is about to come pouring back in. 866449[/snapback] It can only come pouring back if I bring it back... :cool (recalls the '03 wildcard thread watch that was initiated by jonnylons)

Get me Tony Pena. Or Girardi.

What is going on is, Leiter got demoted and figured out he is better off throwing strikes instead of getting cute with his pitches. He could have done that here, but he had to be humiliated first.

"Resop has very little confidence because of Jack" and how is this. just curious? 856767[/snapback] I dont know if you ever had a hard-a$$ manager in your life, or boss for that matter, but in that situation, one tends to press a little too hard. Instead of being relaxed, you get tense. Every mistake becomes even more scrutinized. Resop is pitching on thin ice with Jack. Dont you ever wonder why Rob Dibble cant stand Jack? Think about it - it doesnt come ex nihilo. I just noticed that after Resop got blown up out there, he looked dejected. Not because he gave up some more runs, no. It was that kind of night for the Phils. But it seemed that he came apart very early, although he was pitching pretty well to that point. He had gotten one out and looked to cruise through the inning. Just seems like he couldnt work through it because there is pressure coming from that dugout.

I am sick of all these people saying this season is Jack's fault. Last I checked all Jack is SUPPOSED to do is make up a lineup card, sit on the bench, and make some pinch hit moves. I am not saying that I agree w/ his strategy sometimes, but that is just his style. The same style that won in 03. Jack doesn't pitch on the mound and give up 3 Home Runs in one inning (not one of them going to the Home Run Derby Champion) and will later ask for $10mil a year even though he barely has a .500 career record.. Jack doesn't get paid a couple of million dollars and barely hits .250 and has 12 less home runs than he did this time a year ago. Jack also does not let runners steal bases as they please. Oh yeah, and Jack isn't sitting in our 3 and 4th spot and combined has more than 100 strikeouts from the 2 most important spots in the lineup. And also, Jack doesn't have the weakest CF's arm in baseball so ANYTHING hit to center field will easily score a runner from 2nd with no hesitation. Not to mention struggles to get on base as well which is the only reason he is even playing CF. You see, Jack does none of these things yet he is to blame for all of it? I understand the mentality of when the going gets rough look at management. But this has been going on since May. This guy is not the problem......yet. I agree that managerial changes are a nesesary evil in baseball. But I believe this is a tad premature for a person who brought a team from the depths of the NL East and suprised everyone just 2 years ago and was in the WC hunt last year. No, you don't go on forver expecting mediocre baseball being played. But point less fingers at the person who sits on the bench and more at the players on the field. 856523[/snapback] Although I agree it is a bit unfair to call for Jack's head, I am certainly going to do it. Back in '03, we were underperforming too - by my estimation, anyway. I thought we were a playoff team going into that season and when Torborg was managing, I was one of the ones who said that firing him wouldnt change anything. Well, I was wrong - it did. But I was right in that the team had been underperforming to that point. Same thing here. The reason why we won in '03 had more to do with the style of ball we HAD to play. We had to generate runs through aggressive baserunning and moving the runner over. Smallball. Not sitting around and waiting for Cabs or Delgado to hit a blast. In '03, Jack had no choice. This year, he has continuously gone away from small ball. And only until recently when JP started stealing bases again did we start to win games. Jack messes with the lineup too much, and doesnt even put the best lineup on the field half the time. He leaves his starters in too long. He seems to find the wrong relievers too often. It just isnt clicking. And his curmudgeonly style is not helping things. Resop has very little confidence because of Jack, as did Kensing. Who knows if Olsen can weather his wrath, only time will tell. And now, Vargas will step into the fire. Right man, wrong time.

Yeah, I am putting my money on AJ.? Sour little b$&ch... 835157[/snapback] thats because you are anti AJ :mischief 835162[/snapback] You know it, you Conine lover you... :whistle