September 7, 200421 yr http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2961152 The Marlins could form a powerhouse bullpen next season if they re-sign free-agent closer RHP Armando Benitez. Setup man RHP Guillermo Mota will return, as might RHPs Tim Spooneybarger and Chad Fox, two pitchers recovering from injuries. Benitez's agent, Mike Powers, acknowledges that his client has found a comfort zone in Florida, but says the biggest reason for his client's success was his determination to overcome his dismal 2004 season. "You could have put him in Russia," Powers says, "and he would have done the same thing." . . . Benitez is one of the top prizes in a weak free-agent bullpen market. The Angles' RHP Troy Percival and Indians' RHP Bob Wickman figure to be the other closers available. "The bullpen market is horrible," one G.M. says. "There are not five guys I'd like to sign off that list." . . . The Marlins have maintained steady interest in Orioles starter LHP Erik Bedard and reliever RHP Jorge Julio. They were awarded waiver claims on both, but the Orioles pulled each back, saying they would need to be overwhelmed to trade either young pitcher. . . . Damn, Bedard is going to be special.
September 7, 200421 yr I love how full of crap agents are. Benitez would have been lit up this year had he played in half the markets in MLB. He can't handle the pressure of a major market. I hope we can resign him, though. I doubt we will. If we can resign Pavano and Lo Duca, I'll be happy. :thumbup
September 7, 200421 yr Glad to hear about Benitez. I want to hear that LoDuca has a contract tho. He really completes the team. Go Marlins!
September 7, 200421 yr I would much rather the Marlins to sign Carl Pavano and Paul Lo Duca for multi-years and then make a trade for Jorge Julio and Erik Bedard. But with Fox and Spoony coming back next season we dont need Julio.
September 7, 200421 yr Author Bedard and Julio make less than $1.5MM combined. We could still sign Pavano. And either LoDuca or Benitez if Enc's contract is moved and we're willing to have no bench yet again.
September 7, 200421 yr Author Also I doubt Fox will be back. I fear his career is over. Bedard gives us a 5th starter next year (for the amount of injuries and rain delays we go through, we should have 6 starters) and Julio gives us a solid 'pen of Mota-Spooneybarger-Julio-Bump, and maybe Koch. I wonder who the O's would want though? One would think pitching, but that doesn't make sense if they're giving up their closer and a promising starter. I'd give up Beckett, who is due a huge raise in arbitration, if they took on Encarnacion's contract and gave us one of their young outfielders along with Bedard and Julio.
September 7, 200421 yr I'd give up Beckett, who is due a huge raise in arbitration, if they took on Encarnacion's contract and gave us one of their young outfielders along with Bedard and Julio. 545502[/snapback] I've always liked your posts, but that paragraph gives me the urge to smack you. :lol Sorry, we'd be better off letting Pavano go and using his money to sign others than trading Beckett. If we make the playoffs, I guarantee you that Beckett will outpitch AJ and Pavano in the playoffs. We need to keep Pavano, Beckett, and AJ for the future. They can be our improved version of Maddox, Glavine and Smoltz, IMO. Since we're talking about next year, I'd love to see if we could sign Pavano and Lo Duca and then see if we can get Delgado for a discount. Of course we'd have to get rid of Enc's contract and maybe Conine, but I'd let them and Mando walk if we could resign pavano/Lo Duca and get Delgado in our lineup next year. I know, I know, there is no way we can afford Delgado and half the board hates him because he wouldn't stand for the national anthem. I'd love to get him at a modest price, though. Pierre Lo Duca Cabrera Delgado Lowell Castillo Gonao Aguila (sp?) pitcher Not a bad lineup. :thumbup
September 7, 200421 yr You're dreamin Nirvana 545527[/snapback] I know. I also dream about winning a couple hundred million in the lottery and nailing Jessica Alba and Jennifer Aniston at the same time. Don't kill my dreams.
September 7, 200421 yr I doubt we will re-sign Benitez. With Mota, there is really no reason to anyway. Mota has the stuff to be a dominant closer. Benitez will get a lot of money next year, and will then most likely return to being what he was in '03. Besides, we are going to get Spoon back next year and we can find a way to round out the bullpen. Koch could come back and with some more tweaking, he could be very very good. We need to re-sign Pavs. He is worth the money and I think he will end up staying with us. If it comes down to he or Benitez, bye bye Mando. As for the O's young pitchers, Julio would be a great fit, I dont know much about Bedard. I dont know what they would want for them, but if we could get them for relatively cheap (Stokes?) why not? But enough about next year - we got a Wild Card race to win...
September 7, 200421 yr I would much rather the Marlins to sign Carl Pavano and Paul Lo Duca for multi-years and then make a trade for Jorge Julio and Erik Bedard. But with Fox and Spoony coming back next season we dont need Julio. 545483[/snapback] Bingo, the O's want Pavano and will make a "bigtime" run at him in the offseason. I'm with alot you guys on this one, Bedard is going to special. I attended that game in spring training when he dominated us for like 6 or 7 innings. Julio would just be nasty go along with Mota. Would you trade Pavano for those two???
September 7, 200421 yr Isn't Rosenthal the one who crapped all over the Ugie deal last year? 545618[/snapback] Rosenthal is a certified POS, a guy who wrote last year when Pudge signed he "was being exiled to baseball's Elba" (a reference to an 18th century french prison colony) and yes, spoke poorly of the Marlins' acquisition of Uggie. One of his best buddies in sports reporting is none other than the loathesome one, Mike Berardino, which says all you really need to know about the guy. Together they have conspired countless times to slander the organization for sins real and imagined.
September 7, 200421 yr Author If we make the playoffs, I guarantee you that Beckett will outpitch AJ and Pavano in the playoffs. We need to keep Pavano, Beckett, and AJ for the future. They can be our improved version of Maddox, Glavine and Smoltz, IMO. 545525[/snapback] The key word is 'if'. Beckett is a big time pitcher, but if we're paying him big bucks to be just an average pitcher for the 6 months before October, is he really worth it? I can't argue your second point. If Beckett and AJ, not to mention a younger Dontrelle, learn to pitch like Pavano has... we wouldn't even need an offense.
September 8, 200421 yr I would much rather the Marlins to sign Carl Pavano and Paul Lo Duca for multi-years and then make a trade for Jorge Julio and Erik Bedard. But with Fox and Spoony coming back next season we dont need Julio. 545483[/snapback] Bingo, the O's want Pavano and will make a "bigtime" run at him in the offseason. I'm with alot you guys on this one, Bedard is going to special. I attended that game in spring training when he dominated us for like 6 or 7 innings. Julio would just be nasty go along with Mota. Would you trade Pavano for those two??? 545609[/snapback] Nope.
September 8, 200421 yr If we make the playoffs, I guarantee you that Beckett will outpitch AJ and Pavano in the playoffs.? We need to keep Pavano, Beckett, and AJ for the future.? They can be our improved version of Maddox, Glavine and Smoltz, IMO. 545525[/snapback] The key word is 'if'. Beckett is a big time pitcher, but if we're paying him big bucks to be just an average pitcher for the 6 months before October, is he really worth it? I can't argue your second point. If Beckett and AJ, not to mention a younger Dontrelle, learn to pitch like Pavano has... we wouldn't even need an offense. 545993[/snapback] You're forgetting how young Beckett is in relation to Pavano. Just a couple years ago no one really wanted Pavano. If Beckett can ever get that damn blister problem cured, he'll be a better pitcher than Pavano next year, IMO. I expect a big change in Beckett's mental preparation from here on out. AJ will light a fire under his ass to get him to pitch better over an entire season, IMO. Once people start saying Beckett is now behind AJ and Pavano going into next year, he'll get pissed, become extremely motivated and have better stats than either of them, IMO. Having two arrogant, mean SOBs like AJ and Beckett spending time together will be a bad sight for opposing teams. I think they'll be able to keep each other motivated once the season is a third done and we're playing the Expos. I expect big things from those two the rest of the season and especially next year once AJ truly is 100%.
September 8, 200421 yr I would much rather the Marlins to sign Carl Pavano and Paul Lo Duca for multi-years and then make a trade for Jorge Julio and Erik Bedard. But with Fox and Spoony coming back next season we dont need Julio. 545483[/snapback] Wouldnt we need to resign Fox too?
September 8, 200421 yr Fox career=over. I'd love for someone to be able to quote this next year if he's dominating, but I doubt it will happen.
September 8, 200421 yr If we dont resign Lo Duca then we havent learned the Pudge lesson yet. Aside from him, we should resign Mota, Benitez & Pavano.
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