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Well, we're a few weeks away from the first trading deadline and we are nearly at the half-way mark. What moves do you want the fish to make? I would like the following:

 

A power hitting OF and another decent one while we deal Lowell to the AL (not that he has value right now) and move Cabrera to 3B.

 

If Houston really is willing to deal Lidge because they are confident in Wheeler, I say make the deal. He puts the Marlins over the top with him closing and everyone else in the bullpen pitching in the 7th and 8th innings. Otherwise, see if you can secure 2 quality relievers, like maybe Eddie Guardado and someone else, depending on the price tag. If you can land a guy like Guardado and still aquire Mesa or Baez, that would be a no brainer, if we have the resources to aquire both.

 

Move Leiter permanently to the bullpen and let our young lefty pitcher start some more. If he begins to falter, let Valdes take over. Also, they need to secure another decent starting pitcher, just in case Beckett's blister situation continues.

 

Finally, I'd like to see another manager like Bob Brenly, Tony Pena, Davey Lopes, Jim Leyland, or someone else in place.

 

This is what I would like to see this year.

 

In the offseason, I know that this will be an unpopular opinion, but I would start to find out what Josh Beckett's trade worth is. I wouldn't do it after this season, but if he has another problem of any sort next season, I would make a move.

 

Any way, what are all of your thoughts?

I dont think houston will move lidge, they are starting to play better ball lately.

I would move Burnett for relief help and outstanding prospects of the Kazmir type that will start next season and be far from free agency.

 

Lidge is not going to happen. I don't know who I would want. I've wanted Julio all year but I'm rethinking that now.

 

I don't think we need more bats.

 

I like Jack but I think he must go because I can't see much wrong with this team and yet it is underperforming and in need of a new skipper.

There are several things the Marlins can do that will surely bring the level of this team up. Here are the DO's and DON'Ts:

 

DO acquire a big bat by trading Lowell and/or Encarnacion

DO improve out starting rotation by trading prospects &or Moehler/Valdez (i.e Zito)

DO fire Bill Robinson

DO give Jeff Conine the starting role

 

DON'T trade Pierre or any member of the big three (AJ, Becks, Trizzle)

DON'T trade offense for bullpen help (Not even Encarnacion)

DON'T keep bringing up Willinghams and Dillons

DON'T fire Jack Mckeon

Gammons summed it up nicely in his last article. More teams are in contention, and more teams are financially responsible with their salaries. The end result being very few teams are looking to dump players this season. Outside of KC and Colorado, everyone is willing to stand pat with what they have outside of a few minor trades. It may not be possible for us to upgrade with a big name player in a trade. It may be more worthwhile to promote some minor leaguers and give them a legitimate shot (think Olsen, Willingham, etc). Most of the rumors swirling are coming out of the big markets (NY, Boston) and have more to do with those teams wanting to skim talent off the lower teams than those lower teams actually wanting to do deals.

we should make a run at Aubrey Huff. I've heard rumors that the Braves are looking at acquiring him, which means he may be available.

we should make a run at Aubrey Huff. I've heard rumors that the Braves are looking at acquiring him, which means he may be available.

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Has he been struggling lately?

 

We should acquire him.

With no malice towards Mike Lowell, I think it's time find a replacement for him in the lineup.

 

Whether that means benching him in favor of Cabrera at third, or trading him, I'll leave that decision to others.

 

And if that means management gives Willingham and his bat a chance to succeed in left field or trades him (or someone else) to find an offensive-capable guy those are options that need to be explored. If you think Jeff Conine can contribute offensively (and I do) there's always the option of Conine in left and Enc in right (until Enc's future plays itself out), that's between Jack and the FO as well.

 

But something needs to be done to get this offense back on the right track, and as loathe as I am to say it, Mike Lowell is the weakest of several weak links.

 

I would also consider putting Moehler on the trading block, not because he's done anything wrong but because I believe an astute general manager in search of starting pitching, and what team isn't, would pounce at the chance to pick up a guy with a 3 ERA who's being paid minimum wage and is eminently re-signable in 2006.

 

Because Moehler isn't "sexy" to fans generally, but rather would be to baseball people, in some ways he may fetch more talent than an AJ who is clearly a summer rental, headed for greener pastures through free agency, regardless of where he might wind up, and thusly is of limited trade value. Moehler has proven, given the opportunity he can be a three, four, five guy on many, many teams.

 

Some of you will suggest trading Leiter rather than Moehler, but honestly, what trade value does he have? None would be the correct answer.

 

And Encarnacion is not going to bring you a player who will produce better than he is currently, even if we were foolish enough to throw money into a trade, what are your options? If the goal here is to have more runs, more consistently, crossing the plate, Lowell first, and ultimately Encarnacion (who I think is under appreciated here defensively) have to be replaced in the lineup.

 

I hate the idea of Lowell becoming a bench player, but what choice do we have?. At $8 million a year there are not going to be alot of takers on the open market unless he is packaged with someone no team can refuse, and sure it will be h*ll for him to sit there night after night, but perhaps he can take the time to figure out what's wrong this season and contribute in the fall.

 

I wasn't the first, and some might say I was one of the last to jump on the Willingham bandwagon. But I do believe, absent Enc, or Enc joining Mike Lowell on the bench, either Willy or more probably Chris Aguila who is hitting an outstanding .351 in Albuquerque, could find a home in the outfield, whether it be by platooning the three (Conine, Willingham and Aguila in left and right fields), or two of them playing everyday, and not see the team's offensive performance suffer in the slightest.

 

Those are some of my thoughts, no doubt there will be some among us who will disagree.

If we do trade Lowell we won't get anyone good. Lowells value has plummeted this year.

No team is going to give a major bat for a struggling batter.

There are several things the Marlins can do that will surely bring the level of this team up. Here are the DO's and DON'Ts:

 

DO acquire a big bat by trading Lowell and/or Encarnacion

DO improve out starting rotation by trading prospects &or Moehler/Valdez (i.e Zito)

DO fire Bill Robinson

DO give Jeff Conine the starting role

 

DON'T trade Pierre or any member of the big three (AJ, Becks, Trizzle)

DON'T trade offense for bullpen help (Not even Encarnacion)

DON'T keep bringing up Willinghams and Dillons

DON'T fire Jack Mckeon

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5/8 ain't bad.

 

- Make coaching changes. This cast is way too complacent.

- Trade Lowell and one of JP/Enc (I'd rather it be Enc but I'm not even 50% sure JP will break out of this) for real help. Of those three, I'd rather not trade Mikey. I'd rather trade Burnett or Beckett before Lowell, but he's blocking Cabrera from third and Willingham from starting.

- Don't make minor moves just to make them. You gain nothing by shuffling the 7th guy in the 'pen. You gain close to nothing by bringing in middle relievers, shaky closers or bench players.

- Give the good kids some playng time. Maybe not starting roles, but 2 starts a week and a substitution appearance or two.

- Trade Lowell and one of JP/Enc (I'd rather it be Enc but I'm not even 50% sure JP will break out of this) for real help. Of those three, I'd rather not trade Mikey. I'd rather trade Burnett or Beckett before Lowell, but he's blocking Cabrera from third and Willingham from starting.

 

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Now I'm no JP apologist (In fact I'd like to see him moved regardless, because I think 2 slap hitting, no power leadoff hitters are unnecessary and JP's defense and arm leave alot to be desired), but with regard to his most-of-the-season-long slump, Rob Neyer had this to say in a chat today (I didn't ask the question) about his ability to break out and return to his form

 

Jeremy (Miami): How long can Juan Pierre possibly play this poorly? It seems like he's striking out at a high rate, which isn't like him. Can skills really diminish this quickly?

 

Rob Neyer: It's a mystery, for sure. It's not that he's striking out too much, though; Pierre's struck out 19 times in 73 games, just a few ticks above his recent norms. And while his walks are down, it's not by much. The only real difference is Pierre's batting average; it's .255, and he entered the season with a .312 lifetime mark. He's only 27, and my guess is he'll be fine (though, being a typical impatient fantasy owner, I dropped him from my roster last week).

Ok... my few cents...

 

DO fire Bill Robinson

DO trade AJ for a young Kazmir type who will stay here for years, and a proven starter for finishing out this year (Baltimore - Hayden Penn and Rodrigo Lopez, Seattle - Felix Hernandez, Pittsburgh - Zack Duke or Ian Snell)

DO trade Encarnacion

DO bring up Aguila to platoon in CF and RF

DO start Willingham on a regular basis

DO give Sept. callups to Robert Andino and Jeremy Hermida, to see about who should start next season.

DO allow Olsen a few more ML starts to see if he's ready to stay here.

 

DON'T let Lowell or Pierre play every day until they start hitting better (Cabrera at third, Aguila at center, as necessary)

DON'T let Mota stay here and whine

DON'T activate Spooney before he is ready (Jeff Zimmerman, anyone?)

DON'T fire McKeon, until we're really starting to stink

DON'T rush the prospects at AA - let Kensing finish with the Mudcats, give all the guys a season in AAA, and don't burn their major league service time before they start reaching their potential (a la Bonderman)

DON'T keep shuttling Flannery and Messenger around - let them stay at one level and get consistently good there.

Ok... my few cents...

 

DO fire Bill Robinson

DO trade AJ for a young Kazmir type who will stay here for years, and a proven starter for finishing out this year (Baltimore - Hayden Penn and Rodrigo Lopez, Seattle - Felix Hernandez, Pittsburgh - Zack Duke or Ian Snell)

DO trade Encarnacion

DO bring up Aguila to platoon in CF and RF

DO start Willingham on a regular basis

DO NOT give Sept. callups to Robert Andino and Jeremy Hermida, to see about who should start next season.Reed should be called up for pinch running

DO allow Olsen a few more ML starts to see if he's ready to stay here.

 

DON'T let Lowell or Pierre play every day until they start hitting better (Cabrera at third, Aguila at center, as necessary)

DON'T let Mota stay here and whine

DON'T activate Spooney before he is ready (Jeff Zimmerman, anyone?)

DON'T fire McKeon, until we're really starting to stink

DON'T rush the prospects at AA - let Kensing finish with the Mudcats, give all the guys a season in AAA, and don't burn their major league service time before they start reaching their potential (a la Bonderman)

DON'T keep shuttling Flannery and Messenger around - let them stay at one level and get consistently good there.

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Otherwise, sounds nice and moderate. This is team is over 500 folks :thumbup

nothing wrong with September callups man

 

their seasons are over anyway

With no malice towards Mike Lowell, I think it's time find a replacement for him in the lineup.

 

Whether that means benching him in favor of Cabrera at third, or trading him, I'll leave that decision to others.

 

And if that means management gives Willingham and his bat a chance to succeed in left field or trades him (or someone else) to find an offensive-capable guy those are options that need to be explored. If you think Jeff Conine can contribute offensively (and I do) there's always the option of Conine in left and Enc in right (until Enc's future plays itself out), that's between Jack and the FO as well.

 

But something needs to be done to get this offense back on the right track, and as loathe as I am to say it, Mike Lowell is the weakest of several weak links.

 

I wasn't the first, and some might say I was one of the last to jump on the Willingham bandwagon. But I do believe, absent Enc, or Enc joining Mike Lowell on the bench, either Willy or more probably Chris Aguila who is hitting an outstanding .351 in Albuquerque, could find a home in the outfield, whether it be by platooning the three (Conine, Willingham and Aguila in left and right fields), or two of them playing everyday, and not see the team's offensive performance suffer in the slightest.

 

Those are some of my thoughts, no doubt there will be some among us who will disagree.

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Well put '03. And for me it's not so much the "Willingham is the spark this team needs" chant, but rather simply that Mike Lowell is the missing power position right now. A corner infielder hitting .220 with 3 homers has been the most glaring offensive problem on this team this season. The easiest way to attempt to infuse some slugging into the team is to give Lowell some nights off and move Willingham or Conine or even Easley into the lineup.

 

That said, I'm in no hurry to trade Lowell away. I think he'll probably snap out of it, I just don't know that he needs to play every night while we wait for it to happen.

nothing wrong with September callups man

 

their seasons are over anyway

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Not to mention a fresh set of legs or an extra guy here or there who spell the regs in what (if our so far rainy summer season continues) promises to be another compressed season wth 30 games in a row (Grrrrr)..

 

 

 

And thanks Hotcorner for commenting on my Lowell missive. I was beginning to think it would go uncommented on.

Jack's style. Veteran in a hole... give him a shovel to keep digging.

Minors Flash... bring him up and don't let him play.

Sorry. I don't like Jack McKeon.

Jack's style. Veteran in a hole... give him a shovel to keep digging.

Minors Flash... bring him up and don't let him play.

Sorry. I don't like Jack McKeon.

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Jack is old school. Been there, won that.

Proof is in the pudding. Put up or shut up.

This is the bigs...no time for babying.

Lowell, JP and Enc all have rings...been through the wars.

Willy, Dilly and the rest got squat.

Sorry. I have faith in Trader Jack.

"Willy, Dilly and the rest" don't get a chance to play.

Total BS bringing them up.

Jack's style.? Veteran in a hole... give him a shovel to keep digging.

Minors Flash... bring him up and don't let him play.

Sorry.? I don't like Jack McKeon.

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Jack is old school. Been there, won that.

Proof is in the pudding. Put up or shut up.

This is the bigs...no time for babying.

Lowell, JP and Enc all have rings...been through the wars.

Willy, Dilly and the rest got squat.

Sorry. I have faith in Trader Jack.

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Jack has been fired from every gig he's had.

This team isn't putting up runs.

Lowell and Pierre have been babied all year.

Enc is a baby who whines when he doesn't play including in 2003.

Willy and Dilly never get a shot to show what they've got.

You don't know jack.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

If we keep this up the board will implode

Roses are red

Violets are blue

If we keep this up the board will implode

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Well done and well said...

 

:thumbup

Ok... my few cents...

 

DO NOT give Sept. callups to Robert Andino and Jeremy Hermida, to see about who should start next season.Reed should be called up for pinch running

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Otherwise, sounds nice and moderate. This is team is over 500 folks :thumbup

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Why Reed? He's not hitting in AA... his average is barely better than JP's! He's probably a good two years away from the majors, unless he starts hitting a whole lot better than he is.

 

So I'm standing by what I said about Andino and Hermida, because the organization thinks highly of them (which is why they don't find it imperative to hang onto Alex Gonzalez or Juan Encarnacion), and they're having decent seasons.

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