dolfinfan305

When did the guy write this...it sounds he didnt know what had happened w/ Pudge

HYDE: Pudge, farewell but not good buy Published December 9, 2003 It was so clearly the right move, done the right way, for so many right reasons that the only surprise was how painless it became for the Marlins to let such a big piece of October go. When the end of Sunday night brought the dead end of negotiations, it wasn't tough to wave goodbye to Pudge Rodriguez. Not at all. Not in the way you'd expect, considering he delivered so much last summer and sparked so much autumn fun. It was telling somewhere during that October run, as Rodriguez mightily helped to slay one city after another, that Chicago Cubs scout Ed Lynch looked at the Marlins' damage report and said, "You've got to love those one-year contracts." That's what no one in baseball lost sight of, and you shouldn't today. The Marlins squeezed maximum production from players with maximum motivation. And now they want to run the blueprint again. It goes right to Steve Spurrier's great line, when asked at Florida if it was true that he didn't work very hard: "You either have to outwork your opponent or do things differently." The Marlins do things differently. They're smart that way. Their dollars can't outwork any team, much less ones like the New York Yankees, who can cover any mistake with money, or the Boston Red Sox, who keep matching poker chips this offseason with the Yankees. Rodriguez wanted four years and $40 million of commitment. There's no harm in asking. The Marlins final-offered three years for up to $24 million (the final year was an option). There was no shame in that money, either, considering if you get beyond the blood and guts to the dry statistics, Rodriguez hit a good-not-great .297 with 16 home runs and 85 RBI. Can Rodriguez, at 32, replicate the kind season he had last year? Probably. But are you sure he could over the following three seasons, as Rodriguez's contract demanded? By the end of that contract his body would be 35 in real life but might need carbon dating to measure it in catchers' years. Again, the Marlins don't have the financial bullets to run Yankee-sized risks. They kept their two All-Stars in Mike Lowell and Luis Castillo this offseason. They've kept their pitching staff intact. They need to spend some money on a bullpen, which even with Rodriguez gone becomes a more glaring problem than catching. It's not a stretch to think Ramon Castro can hit 25 home runs next season as the starting catcher. He won't handle the pitching staff or have the defensive presence of Rodriguez. It's always a risk playing a young catcher, doubly so in Castro's case considering a sexual-assault case in Pittsburgh has yet to be tried. But if Castro fails, he's a one-year, low-six-figure failure. Mike Redmond could be worthy insurance, too. That's how the Marlins have to play smart moneyball. Meanwhile, Rodriguez goes to a glutted market of available talent, and it will be interesting to see if he gets a better deal than the Marlins offered. The oversupply means prices go down, and there's Javy Lopez with 41 home runs and Benito Santiago with a cheaper price tag on the catching market. Of course the glut plays right to the Marlins' blueprint, and it will be interesting to see how many teams copycat their strategy. It's a hard one to match in places like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, who don't have South Florida's built-in advantages. Or did you forget that Rodriguez was wooed to the one-year deal in part because this was his home? Can the Marlins find another big-name fit to take a one-year deal? Are they looking? After last season, Marlins management gets every benefit of the doubt for spending smarter and bolder than any team in our market. The Dolphins went the cheap way on the offensive line and at receiver again last offseason. That has cost them another season and probably will cost coach Dave Wannstedt his job. The Heat overspent on average talent like Eddie Jones, Brian Grant and now Lamar Odom. That saddled them with losers not just the past few seasons but set their ceiling in the coming years as well. The Panthers haven't solved the difficult puzzle of simultaneously saving smartly and spending aggressively to turn around the franchise's glum standing. That's what the Marlins did last season. They figured it all out. They shed themselves of Charles Johnson's big money. They found bargain buys like Mark Redman and Carl Pavano. But they also splurged $9.3 million on Rodriguez last winter -- and then more on Jeff Conine in August, when they easily could have said either was too expensive. So when General Manager Admin Beinfest refuses to buy back Rodriguez, there's a track record to say there's reason for it. That's what 2003 did. You don't have to surrender a blank check of approval, but it works on the easy decisions like Rodriguez. It's natural for Rodriguez's pride to sting a little by all this. He did so much. He delivered so well. If he had that kind of October in New York or Boston, he might have named his price tag. But he did it with the Marlins, who play a different game, with a different wallet, and so did what was not just necessary in these negotiations but was smart in letting him go on Sunday. From Sun-Sentinel

Donnie Bridges signed a minor league deal with the Royals a couple of days back

Florida Marlins 1. Jason Stokes - 1B - Age 22 - ETA: 2006 .258/.312/.448, 17 HR, 89 RBI, 135/36 K/BB, 6 SB in 462 AB for Single-A Jupiter .145/.169/.290, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 22/1 K/BB, 1 SB in 62 AB for Peoria Saguaros (AFL) At least some of Stokes? problems in 2003 can be traced back to the wrist surgery he had following a breakthrough 2002 season in which he hit .341/.421/.645 in 97 games for low Single-A Kane County. He should be able to shake the bad habits that manifested, especially in the Arizona Fall League, once he?s all the way back in 2004. Stokes has exceptional power potential and could be a Richie Sexson-type player someday. He?ll head to Double-A in 2004. 2. Jeff Allison - RHP - Age 19 - ETA: 2006 0-2, 1.00 ERA, 7 H, 11/4 K/BB in 9 IP for Rookie GCL Marlins Allison, who went his entire senior year without giving up an earned run, was viewed as the top high school pitcher available in last season?s draft. He fell to the 16th pick because of his bonus demands, but he settled on a reasonable $1.65 million to join the Marlins. The team thinks it may have another Josh Beckett on its hands. That may be a stretch, but Allison throws in the mid-90s, has a great curveball and either his slider or his changeup should turn into a quality third pitch. He could reach the majors as soon as the second half of 2005. 3. Jeremy Hermida - OF - Age 20 - ETA: 2006 .284/.387/.393, 6 HR, 49 RBI, 100/80 K/BB, 28 SB in 468 AB for Low Single-A Greensboro .000/.000/.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3/0 K/BB, 0 SB in 3 AB for Triple-A Albuquerque Hermida is frequently compared to Paul O?Neill and it?s easy to see why. The 11th overall pick in the 2002 draft showed impressive on-base ability in his first full professional season and he should have 20-25 home run power as he gets stronger. Defensively, he?s just an average corner outfielder. Although he stole 28 bases last season, he?s not particularly fast and shouldn?t be an option in center. Hermida could be ready to join the Marlins outfield in 2006. 4. Josh Willingham - C/OF - Age 25 - ETA: July 2005 .429/.500/1.000, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2/1 K/BB, 0 SB in 7 AB for Rookie GCL Marlins .264/.422/.549, 12 HR, 34 RBI, 42/46 K/BB, 9 SB in 193 AB for Single-A Jupiter .299/.434/.582, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 20/13 K/BB, 0 SB in 67 AB for Double-A Carolina .313/.444/.516, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 18/13 K/BB, 2 SB in 64 AB for Peoria Saguaros (AFL) Williangham, a 2000 17th-round pick, was a third baseman prior to last season, but he has taken very well to catching and has at least some chance of playing regularly behind the plate in the majors. If it doesn?t work out, he might have the bat to enable him to shift to left field or first base. It?s the switch to catcher that really raised his stock, though. Willingham has the arm for the position and is rapidly picking up everything else. If he can stay healthy in 2004, he should be ready to compete for a job in 2005. The Marlins might even call him up in the second half of next season if they need a bat, but they?d certainly prefer to continue to let him gain experience in the minors. 5. Scott Olsen - LHP - Age 20 - ETA: 2006 7-9, 2.81 ERA, 101 H, 129/59 K/BB in 128 1/3 IP for Low Single-A Greensboro It?s hard to believe a 6-foot-4 left-hander with Olsen?s stuff lasted to the sixth round of the 2002 draft. The Illinois native throws in the low-90s with his fastball and has an above average slider and a decent change. If his control improves, he has No. 2 starter potential. More likely is that he?ll always have a rather high walk rate, making him a No. 3 or No. 4 starter. 6. Justin Wayne - RHP - Age 24 - ETA: July 2004 2000 first-rounder?s stock dropped after he went 4-12 with a 4.24 ERA, 138 H, 82/40 K/BB in 136 IP for Triple-A Albuquerque. Still has fourth starter potential, but not if he keeps throwing like he did last season. 7. Eric Reed - OF - Age 23 - ETA: 2006 .300/.367/.360, 0 HR, 25 RBI, 83/52 K/BB, 53 SB in 514 AB for Single-A Jupiter. Extremely fast with the strength to add power if he wants to. Could take over as Florida?s center fielder in 2006. 8. Trevor Hutchinson - RHP - Age 24 - ETA: May 2005 12-5, 3.09 ERA, 109 H, 76/29 K/BB in 119 1/3 IP between Single-A Jupiter and Double-A Carolina. Chad?s younger brother is a sinker-slider pitcher with the ability to mix in the occasional change. Should be useful despite limited upside. 9. Cole Seifreg - 2B - Age 19 - ETA: 2008 2003 fifth-round pick was bought away from a football scholarship. Plenty of offensive potential, but he may have trouble staying at second base. 10. Yorman Bazardo - RHP - Age 19 - ETA: 2008 9-8, 3.12 ERA, 132 H, 70/26 K/BB in 130 IP for low Single-A Greensboro. Venezuelan right-hander has a 90-95 mph fastball and a quality change. Several years away. Last year?s top 10: Jason Stokes, Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Gonzalez, Dontrelle Willis, Justin Wayne, Rob Henkel, Don Levinski, Jeremy Hermida, Jesus Medrano, Chip Ambres From Rotoworld

Maybe we can select a pitcher in the Rule 5 Draft

Do you guys know of any hard throwing FA pitchers that we can go after?

I believe that Ramon Castro should be given a chance to start. If he goes to jail, i believe we should trade for Bengie Molina of the Angels. His numbers look good and is one of the leaders in the AL in RISP.

Javy wants less than Pudge...thats why the O's have been going after him...we can land him for about 7 -8 million per year

Wow, there are 47 people here waiting for the news

LATEST NEWS - December 5 - Previous News Agent Scott Boras countered Florida's two-year, $14 million offer to Ivan Rodriguez with a four-year, $40 million proposal. Yeah, that'll happen. "They brought him to Florida at a wage of $10 million," Boras said, "and following a season of world championship play and leadership, he made the decision today to let the Marlins know that despite the fact that his teammates got increases, he was willing to accept a contract where his salary remained the same and he would take the same term of years Mike Lowell received. He was willing to be flexible about how the money was to be paid out during the contract." The Marlins appear set to part ways with Pudge and go with Ramon Castro and Mike Redmond behind the plate.

did anyone see the news conference?

Boras/Pudge Storyline 1) Boras thinks he can get more than 10 million a year and a 5 year contract and tells Pudge to wait for other offers 2) After Dec. 7 best deal that comes there way is a 2 year 14 million deal from the Orioles 3) Pudge accepts the deal and thinks "Darn i should've accepted the Marlins offer and be close to home since im getting the same money"

Thanks for the great year Pudge....the only time i will be saying this...Castro Si!!!

Man those black Marlins uniforms look really nice....i had to get one of those

All this guy needs is some playing time...Remember how Derrek Lee started off with the Marlins and improved b/c we gave him a chance...plus i'll be happy if he hits .250 w/ 20 HR and 70 RBI

Check out his minor league numbers (AAA) in 2000 and 2001 before becoming our backup catcher: 2000 67 Games: .335 BA, 14 HR, 45 RBI 2001 103 Games: .336 BA, 27 HR, 90 RBI Thats awesome. I remember when Dombrowski trade for him his batting average was around .250 in the minors and hadnt bloomed in the minors into the player the Astros thought he would be.

I think in the time Encarnacion will become like Sanders...a late bloomer...enc is just too talented - they guy with a little more seasoning will hit at least 30 HR's a season.

Just wondering guys, for how many more years do we have to pay for Hamptons contract

It will be most prob Beltran and i promise you it wont be Anderson Tavarez...When we get the hard throwing right hander that will make our team in the bullpen and have a great year i will be ROFLMAO at you!!

HAHA Overhype positional players. Thats why Baseball America named Choi the Top Prospect in the Cubs organization for 2002. Im not telling you his not going to be a flop b/c he could be but with the talent he has he can develop into a very good first baseman. Look Ziggy, stop coming into out chat rooms and degrading the players we got - you have some complex that you need to go into other peoples web boards to downgrade the players we got to make you feel better as a Cubs fan about the trade. Get a Life man!

BTW, I found 1 video store in Miami renting the Official Marlins DVD and they also have a bootleg DVD of game 7...place is called Siroa Video on 16th Ave and W. Flagler Street

I think a young talented player like Choi will flourish in our system. Trader Jack is known to get out the best of his young players. This is the ideal place for him to be.

Give Choi a chance. Last yr the kid didnt have a chance w/ Dusty at the helm. We cant expect the kid to kick butt the first yr - but i believe with time he will grow to something special. Remember D. Lees rookie year .233, 17 HR, 74 RBI. I was counting him out then but look at what type of player he's become. When i was comparing Lee to Choi i believe that are comparable in everything but glove but of coursr im talking potential wise. It wouldnt surprise me if Choi put up better numbers than Lee his rookie year.

no dolfin fan u are wrong..dee lee was first known for his glove but has developed into a premier top 6 first baseman in the game...u cannot say all those things about choi when he hasnt proven it...just cuz he is in florida now doesnt mean u gotta put down lee and hype choi..hes nothing more than mediocre You guys a couple of days ago were happy w/ Choi and now b/c of one negative article your chaning your mind? C'mon!!!

Im sure the Marlins scouting department was tapped beofre the trade and if they think he can take over 1st base i believe in them. Lets not remember that D. Lee is more known for his glove not bat. His career average is .260 which is not what you would expect from a top 1st baseman. Lee hits for power - so does Choi. Only place where Derrek Lee excels above Choi is his glove but Choi is no slouch in that area either. I think Choi can have a .250 25 hr, 70 rbi season which he was on pace for before that concussion in 2003. Have some confidence guys and remember that not all scouts are the best in evaluating talent as you can see by some clubs having good farm systems and others dont.