NJMarlinsFan

I do some stuff for the Marlins on various sporting news sites and thought I would put this up here as well: Manny Ramirez is no doubt one of the "sexier" names as far as names go in MLB since when one thinks of him, they think of his 40+ homerun, 100+ RBI, .300 AVG seasons, yet was Manny REALLY a good fit for the Marlins? Not really. There's no doubt it would have gathered increase interest in the Marlins, and the Marlins would have been "more fun" to watch, but those are reasons that Admin Beinfest was not willing to use to get rid of Hermida and 3 good prospects, and good for him. The Manny Ramirez deal was a "cosmetic deal." One that makes the Marlins look good, but barely makes them a better POST-SEASON team. For starters Manny Ramirez is 36 years old and is gone after this season. Yes the compensation draft picks would have been a nice addition to pick up as well, and Hermida may be gone next year, but Manny would barely improve the Marlins in the Post-Season. The Florida Marlins would have been an even worse defensive team, and even more of a right-handed dominated lineup. The Marlins would have ran into trouble with any right-handed specialist, which plenty of REAL playoff caliber teams have, and you always have to take in the "Manny being Manny" shenanigans that would have likely happened in Miami, a town where he would probably get away with more than Boston. Consider this: Boston was basically willing to PAY the Marlins to get rid of him, and in the final trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Red Sox will not only pay Manny's Salary, but also give the Pirates a very promising outfielder in Brandon Moss (a guy who will probably we much better than Jeremy Hermida of the Marlins) and another nice prospect in Craig Hansen who has a strong arm with his fastball and slider. It almost unbelievable to think Boston, a team deep in the chase of the postseason, would WANT to trade away Manny and two solid prospects just to basically get rid of the guy. Jason Bay is no doubt a nice a player, and an All Star player, but if a post season chasing team is wanting to get rid of their best hitter like that, do you REALLY want that on your team? And what makes any Marlins fan think the same wont be felt my the Marlin's front office by the end of the year? In the end, the Marlins stuck to their guns, and give them credit for that. I think when you take a look from a realistic perspective, the Marlins are a nice team above .500 record wise, but aren't in the league of the Cubs, Cards, White Sox, or the Angels and the addition of Manny for 2 months wouldn't have changed that. The Marlins still lack a solid defense (which would have been worse with roll on top of the ball Manny), and while pitching was a problem in the first half, that area will most likely be greatly improved in this final run at the playoffs. Sure the Marlins can get into the playoffs, but only through the NL East, and only if the Marlins get that "magic feel" like they did in 2003 and are able to get on a roll. In conclusion, the Marlins made the right move. Don't buy what some "sources" are saying that the Marlins wanted another 2 million dollars. Trust me, that's not what held up this deal. From a financial perspective it makes no sense. The Marlins would have gained that back in Manny interest alone. The Pirates simply were asking too much and Admin Beinfest, arguably the best GM in baseball, wasn't going to get pushed around to rent a good, but questionable player. The Marlins keep this team together, that has FAR exceeded its expectations, and continue on their chase for the post-season. The Florida Marlins WILL improve themselves since they have possibly 3 very solid starting pitchers they didn't have earlier in the year, and Rhodes is a nice boost to the pen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As far as the Rhodes trade, its a solid move by the Marlins. You bring in a LEFTY reliever who the Marlins desperately needed for a above average reliever. Also who knows how Anibal does, but Anibal Sanchez is almost like picking up a new player since he hasn't even pitched for the Marlins this year. Bring in those two arms and you definitely make this team more post-season friendly. I would much rather have Sanchez, Volstad, Olsen, Johnson, Nolasco rotation than Manny any day. On a side note: Lets cheer on the players we have and not boo the the guys we don't... Well said! :notworthy

I'm really disappointed we didn't get Manny. I know we don't NEED him, but don't tell me we're close to a deal to get a guy like that and then not make it happen! Now I'm listening to the Mets "talk radio" guys rejoicing on the radio over the fact that we didn't get Manny. I HATE it when those Mets fans rejoice! They said the Marlins are "stupid" because they let Manny "get away" over a mere $2 million dollars. Why couldn't we make a deal to get Lo Duca? Let's hope we have enough to make a run at the playoffs. All I know is the Mets and Phillies would be wetting their pants right about now if we got Manny. Oh well...