Delfino

I haven't seen a 21 year old show such plate presence since Miguel Cabrera. I'm overly psyched. This kid has as big of a ceiling as any player currently in baseball and he's already DAMN good now.

*Sniffs the air*.. Is that... CRAP I smell?? Oh wait, it's the Chicago biased writer making garbage up. Memo to Chris DeLuca: Chicago asking for Mike Stanton in a "trade for Guillen", then getting the phone slammed down repeatedly on them isn't "discussions". While I HOPE Jeff Loria isn't half that stupid, I know for a FACT Beinifest isn't.

How's it going all? Considering making the move to my favorite area. I've visited quite a few times in my life but never actually scouted it as a living location.. However, more and more I'm drawn to relocate there, and a few jobs are showing real interest. That said.. What parts are good to live in in terms of price vs. safeness (I have a wife and a young child) vs. location? Good schools? Bad schools? Any advice is much appreciated.

Those who have spoke on the REAL John Henry, I couldn't agree more. I honestly and truly believe he basically used his time in Miami to get in with the "good ol' boys" network, which would allow him to move on to greener pastures. Crying poverty and coming up with 700 mill to buy the Red Sox? Sure sounds fishy to me.

I was hoping for Jason Stokes. Then again, he would have torn a ligament in his finger just signing a contract. I saw Stokes was recently released from an independent minor league team. He was dropped by the Grand Prairie Air Hogs in August after suffering a groin injury. That would almost be hillarious if it wasn't so sad.

Man, the Rays are looking like CRAP this game.

Random points from reading the thread: - Longoria isn't getting traded to ANYONE. Please don't get your hopes up, he'll be a Ray for quite some time. - Nooone in baseball will pay Crawford 20 million dollars. He's a great player, one of the most unheralded stars in baseball, and to be honest I'd just as soon have him with his skills as I would a hit or miss, one dimensional hack like Ryan Howard. Yet, Crawford won't get $20 million. At this point, I wonder if he'll get $15 million per season. I'm thinking someone will give him around $13-$14 mill per. - The whole "owner vs. fans" debate is a double edged sword. On one hand, you have the owner, notoriously frugal in the past, openly stating that he's going to shed payroll from a team that has had a high level of success the last three seasons. This does nothing to build goodwill and prove committment to the long term. While Pena is a replacable commodity, and either Shields or Garza has to be moved to make room for Hellickson, and Crawford may be out of their financial grasp, those who don't necessarily look outside the box only see it as players they like are being ushered out of town as a cost cutting measure. In the case of BOTH the Marlins and Rays, they're playing in stadiums not suited for baseball, or not suited for the times and in a less than ideal location (in Tampa's case). As much as this irks me, now a days the stadium experience has become as much a part of game day as the team on the field itself. Me personally, I don't care if it's in a corn field, I just want to watch. Not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the game however. New stadiums are in order for the both teams, and thus far the Marlins have theirs set in stone. The Rays do not, and the daily grumblings of the team being jerked out from under them and moved loom large. Noone wants to pay to see a lame duck team. That said, I can see ownership perspective. The attendance has been less than what you want. To build a stadium and fund a roster, you're going to need to make money (unless your the Yankees and Red Sox) in order not to hemmorage it. To fall in to the red, it literally does become a no win situation.

It doesn't help Bonds' case that he's pretty much an A-Hole in real life. If he was a little more of a friendly person to the media and in life, maybe people would give him a little more leniency. No question, Bonds is an a-hole.. However, so was Babe Ruth..... Many still consider him to be the Greatest of All Time. Joe DiMaggio was sullen and not regarded as the nicest guy himself.. Ted Williams was at times considered "impossible to please".. You didn't even want to DREAM of getting on Bob Gibson's bad side. Oh and don't even get me started on Ty Cobb. That said, their accomplishments were not and SHOULD not be negated due to personality.

First let me preface this by saying I DESPISE Bonds. I by no means am one who will defend or go to bat for him. That being said, if you look at his career, outside of 1993, when he fully began blooming as a power hitter, there was ONE season where his numbers were much higher than average.... 2001. Assuming he became involved with steroids in 2000 when his affiliation with Greg Anderson began, "steroids" accounted for 317 of his home runs.. Meaning, he hit 445 OFF the juice. On top of things, I'm fully believing steroids only aide you so much. Yes, it turns a pull ball hitter in to a 50 homer threat. However, Bonds ALWAYS was that threat, and his power developed making him one of the best in the game. Steroids do NOTHING to help in bat speed, hand eye coordination or the other facets it takes to hit a baseball. His .316 career average was no way, shape or form as a result of steroids. I dislike Bonds, GREATLY. However he's the Home Run King until Pujols, Rodriguez or someone else beats that mark. The asterik crap is idiotic. The man deserves his due.

Simmons would be my ideal choice.. Or Fregosi.

Coghlan is horrific in LF.. I dread picturing him in CF, where he has much more range to cover. If Dominguez is ready, I have a suspicion that this could be the logic and motivation behind the Marlins trading Uggla, justifying it by saying they're moving Chris to 2nd. To be honest, I'd NOT see them trade Uggla, but reportedly the two sides are "far apart" in negotiations, thus my belief that Uggs will be moved. I may be crazy here, but in order of untradable commodities, I'd put Uggla as more of a keeper than Coghlan, but that's just me.

I think Valentine winds up in Seattle. Don't see this firing changes anything. I get that impression too. I could see that. Or, to a lesser degree, the White Sox or Cubs. I think the Mets are going to find it a difficult job to fill that manager's spot. Thanks to Manaya and company, they are screwed up for a couple more years at least. Unless their owner is willing to shovel a bunch more $$$ into them to cover it up. It wouldn't surprise me to see some more FO firings coming from there. The Mets job may be the most unappealing one currently available. That roster is saddled with bad contracts and players who are past their prime, or reaching that point. They do have some young players that have pretty promising futures (Pagan, Davis) however the majority of the roster is in need of an overhaul. On top of things, their best bet for the future MIGHT be trading Reyes and/ or Wright however they'd be committing hari kari if they actually did. It's truly a messy situation in Queens. Minaya did them no favors whatsoever and left them in rough shape. The Cubs are in pretty bad shape too. That's another rough position, with the new owner coming in, the organization also saddled with no real identity and a shaky farm, and the team hemmoraging money yearly. Come to think, not being biased here, but Florida might actually be one of the more attractive openings available this off-season.

I think Valentine winds up in Seattle. Don't see this firing changes anything.

For those wondering if Amar'e would re-sign in Miami if acquired: Stoudemire is a Florida native. His family, specifically ones he's close to, reside in Florida still. The Heat would be about as close to home as it gets, as I don't see Orlando making a move for him.

Chien-Ming Wang has agreed to a contract with the Washington Nationals. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Nationals will be holding a press conference Friday to announce the signing. Wang had an atrocious 2009, however I think in spite of that, this is a great signing for the Nats. He'll have very little pressure in DC, and I'm imagining will be a low level contract. If he is able to bounce back, and what we saw in 2009 from him was a mirage, I hate this deal from a Marlin fan perspective.