October 17, 200620 yr Marlins report: Roster Oct. 17, 2006 The Sports Xchange The Marlins enter the offseason with questions about their coaching staff, their outfield and bullpen. The infield and starting rotation are set. BIGGEST NEEDS: Just as they did going into 2006, the Marlins need to address their bullpen. LHP Taylor Tankersley has emerged as the only dependable young reliever. And the team might feel as if it has gotten the most it will get out of closer Joe Borowski. FREE AGENTS: RHP Joe Borowski, RHP Matt Herges, RHP Brian Moehler, INF Wes Helms. The Marlins should have interest in signing Helms, but the pitchers could walk. ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: LHP Dontrelle Willis, 3B Miguel Cabrera, C Miguel Olivo. The Marlins definitely will try to sign Cabrera and avoid a hearing. Willis is another story. He should return, but the Marlins could trade him for more prospects and outfield help. Olivo wants to return. IN LIMBO: Willis, Borowski, Herges, Moehler. The guess here is that Willis is signed for 2007, but with the emergence of the young pitchers in 2006, there's rumblings that Willis could be traded for bullpen or outfield help. Willis figures to get at least $5.5 million, with Cabrera at least $6 million. With the 2006 payroll at $14.9 million, the Marlins could save a chunk of money in 2007 by dealing Willis for young talent. PROSPECT WATCH: RHP Gaby Hernandez, acquired from the Mets for C Paul Lo Duca, is projected to open next season in Double-A. Another quality right-handed arm in the organization, Hernandez is regarded as having a chance to move up quickly. RHP Scott Nestor will pitch in Arizona Fall League. He could see action next season with the Marlins. He went a combined 4-4 in a season that started at Class A Jupiter (2.52 ERA) and ended at Double-A Carolina (7.43 ERA). MEDICAL WATCH: RHP Logan Kensing (reconstructive elbow surgery) will miss most of the 2007 season. RHP Carlos Martinez (reconstructive elbow surgery) will miss at least the start of the 2007 season. RF Jeremy Hermida (sore right ankle) expects to be ready for spring training after missing most of September. RHP Josh Johnson (strained right forearm) expects to be ready for spring training after missing much of September. LHP Dontrelle Willis (sore right triceps) left his last start in the second inning Oct. 1, but he should be fine for spring training. C Miguel Olivo (fractured left middle finger) should be ready for spring training. Marlins report: Inside pitch Manager Fredi Gonzalez hoped to have his new coaching staff in place within his first week as the new Marlins skipper, but that process is dragging. Former Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca has accepted the bench coach job, the role formerly held by Gary Tuck. And hitting coach Jim Presley has been asked back. But up in the air are the jobs of first base/infield coach Perry Hill and pitching coach Rick Kranitz. Hill has been asked back but he has not gotten back to the Marlins yet because of a death in the family. Kranitz also has been asked back, but he hasn't given an answer yet. Kranitz appears to be waiting to see what his friend Joe Girardi is doing. Kranitz was Girardi's pitching coach with the Marlins this season. If Girardi is hired elsewhere, Kranitz probably would follow him. Hill is another intriguing coach. Because of his respected work with Gold Glovers such as Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell, he is highly sought. At least four teams are interested in him. One of those teams, the Red Sox, recently was denied permission by the Marlins to interview him. Luis Dorante, the Double-A Carolina manager, could end up replacing Mike Harkey as the bullpen coach. Dean Treanor, who managed the Marlins' Triple A team in Albuquerque, also might be named a coach. Tosca was Gonzalez's first professional manager in the Yankees system and the second minor league manager hired by the Marlins in 1992. "I think it's tremendous," Tosca said Monday. "I've known Fredi since he was 19 years old, managed him the first three years that he played and worked with him for five years with the Marlins. I am looking forward to working with him again." Marlins report: Notes, quotes --2B Dan Uggla learned that he had been named the Sporting News National League rookie of the year when former Marlins manager Joe Girardi called to tell him Tuesday. "He said, 'Congratulations!' We had a good talk," Uggla said. But what Girardi failed to mention was that he also was honored by the magazine, as the National League's manager of the year. "You know the way Joe is," Uggla said. "He's a humble guy. He's not about to say he won an award." The magazine's awards often are a preview of the major awards announced in November by the Baseball Writers Association of America. But the Sporting News awards carry significance for honorees because they are voted on by players, managers and coaches -- not writers. "It's pretty cool that my peers thought that highly of me," Uggla said. --Mustaches, beards and whiskers are welcome in the Marlins clubhouse next season. New manager Fredi Gonzalez said he wouldn't continue former manager Joe Girardi's policy against facial hair. "None of this ZZ Top stuff," Gonzalez joked. --CF Reggie Abercrombie will try to sharpen his skills in the Dominican Republic winter league. After a strong spring, Abercrombie made the big-league team but hit just .212 with five home runs and 24 RBIs in 111 games. --Marlins players plan to follow former manager Joe Girardi's last directive before he was fired: Get some rest! Following the offseason protocol of most baseball players, the Marlins will kick back and relax at least for a month before they begin individual workout routines. "I will take the time off to let my body heal," LF Josh Willingham said. "I will start lifting weights hard a little before November. I will do that until Christmas. Then I will start throwing and hitting at home and then head to (spring training) in the middle of February." BY THE NUMBERS 2 -- Spanish-speaking coaches with the Marlins in 2007 -- manager Fredi Gonzalez and bench coach Carlos Tosca. The Marlins didn't have a Spanish-speaking coach in 2006. QUOTE TO NOTE "To take a team with a $15 million payroll and keep them in the race as long as he did ... I don't know how you can do a much better job." -- Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy, writing on his Sporting News ballot for Joe Girardi as manager of the year.
October 17, 200620 yr Well, the piece is both soft on the facts and long in the tooth. How old is this? Where's Jacobs on the "medical report"? Way behind on coaches. Stories published today that Girardi may be headed back to the Yankees as Torre's bench coach. And did I miss something, because I can't find any reference to Perry Hill having a "death in the family"? His wife is admittedly ill but I haven't seen anything that suggests she passed away.
October 17, 200620 yr Willis figures to get at least $5.5 million, with Cabrera at least $6 million. Willis - $7ish Cabrera - $6.4-$7
October 17, 200620 yr Author Well, the piece is both soft on the facts and long in the tooth. How old is this? Where's Jacobs on the "medical report"? Way behind on coaches. Stories published today that Girardi may be headed back to the Yankees as Torre's bench coach. And did I miss something, because I can't find any reference to Perry Hill having a "death in the family"? His wife is admittedly ill but I haven't seen anything that suggests she passed away. The report is dated 10/17/06 http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/teams/report/FLA/9733854
October 17, 200620 yr Way behind on coaches. Stories published today that Girardi may be headed back to the Yankees as Torre's bench coach. And did I miss something, because I can't find any reference to Perry Hill having a "death in the family"? His wife is admittedly ill but I haven't seen anything that suggests she passed away. I wondered the same thing about Perry Hill. I really hope this is inaccurate.
October 17, 200620 yr I would disagree about the Marlins biggest need, CF is still at the top of my list. If the youngsters can rebound from injuries the bullpen sets up kinda nice.
October 17, 200620 yr I would disagree about the Marlins biggest need, CF is still at the top of my list. If the youngsters can rebound from injuries the bullpen sets up kinda nice. you do realize 2 of our best arms are for most if not all of 2007, right?
October 17, 200620 yr If they cant keep a 25 million dollar payroll they will be a joke they already are... nothing now would surprise me.
October 18, 200620 yr Well, the piece is both soft on the facts and long in the tooth. How old is this? Where's Jacobs on the "medical report"? Way behind on coaches. Stories published today that Girardi may be headed back to the Yankees as Torre's bench coach. And did I miss something, because I can't find any reference to Perry Hill having a "death in the family"? His wife is admittedly ill but I haven't seen anything that suggests she passed away. I was curious about Jake too. They never really said why he left, personal reasons, that could mean Messenger gave him a bad haircut or something.
October 18, 200620 yr Willis figures to get at least $5.5 million, with Cabrera at least $6 million. Willis - $7ish Cabrera - $6.4-$7 I'm going with the figures the article gave. DTrain mnade about $4.5 mil last year. You are saying he deserves a $2.5 mil raise for breaking the Marlins record for HPB with 19 (more than double his previous season high), and having career highs in ER, HRs, and walks. Some will say that the ER rise is due to the D behind him and I would be inclined to agree. But the HRs, HBPs, and BBs are all on him. Just because he is liked dosen't mean he did a great job last year and deserves such a big pay raise.
October 18, 200620 yr His ER would go down if there was bad enough defense behind him. Errors do not count as earned runs, runs scored after an error that would have been the third out do ont count either. D-Train just wasn't consistant he deserves a raise but not a $2.5 mil increase.
October 18, 200620 yr I'm going with the figures the article gave. DTrain mnade about $4.5 mil last year. You are saying he deserves a $2.5 mil raise for breaking the Marlins record for HPB with 19 (more than double his previous season high), and having career highs in ER, HRs, and walks. Some will say that the ER rise is due to the D behind him and I would be inclined to agree. But the HRs, HBPs, and BBs are all on him. Just because he is liked dosen't mean he did a great job last year and deserves such a big pay raise. You should look at the comparables. Oswalt, Halladay, Santana, Teixiera, Pujols. Dontrelle might get away with being lowballed at a mid $6. Cabrera will not lose an arbitration battle if he asks for $6.5. They are going to come in more than every published article says.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.