We all know why Baker won't be coming up, and why Ross is brought in here, its because of $. baker coming up means a year less for his abitration eligibility. Do that and he's less attractive as trade bait.

 

No we don't "know" this and you have no idea what you're talking about.

 

Baker is a six+ year minor leaguer who if he were called up would make the major league minimum of approximately $380.000 (prorated), and incrementally small increases for the following two years, making roughly $420,000+ (in today's dollars) in year three.

 

David Ross makes $2.525 million THIS SEASON (or prorated about $1.3 million for the rest of the 2008 season) and holds an option for 2009 for $3.5 million that will cost whatever team has him $375,000 to opt out. So to acquire Ross just for the remainder of this season (assuming for a second Loria is too cheap to pay him $3.5 million *next* season) it would cost the Marlins approx. $1.7 million PLUS whatever player or players we traded for him.

 

Oh yeah, and Ross already has accumulated five (5) years of service time.

 

Only a moron would think Ross would ONLY be coming here because of money and Baker kept in the minor leagues to hold down his service time and future arbitration eligibility. He'll be over 30 years old if he came up tomorrow when he was arbitration eligible. In seven years in the minors no major league team has tried to acquire him because he an undiscovered major league talent.

 

For the record Baker has never played in the MLB. Think there's a reason or was Billy Beane conspiring against him too?

 

That's it ! Billy Beane and Jeffrey Loria have been conspiring to keep the man down. :banghead

 

And oh yeah, a quick look suggests he'll be Rule 5 eligible next season (but I'd have to check more than I care to for this post) so we'll see how many teams get in line to acquire him. I can here the chatter now... "oooooh, pssst John Baker's available. we can't let him get away..."

 

If he is picked up he has three years once he becomes a major leaguer (like every other rookie who comes into MLB) before arbitration (and service time is not counted in calendar years as you suggested, but in days of a season so if he came up today he's accrue roughly .48 service time in 2008. No big deal. (See Nny for a more expert explanation) As for Baker's "trade value", he's been cut or laterally traded at least three times in the minors that I know of. His trade value is no more or less than Chase Lambin, John Gall or Boxied, or Valentino Pascucci, or any other career minor leaguer.

 

Look, you can keep posting whatever garbage you want to but you can't legitimately pass them off as "fact" when you post them and "opinion" when you're proven wrong. You are not stating something as an "opinion" when you say "we all know", you are stating a fact, in this case a fact that turns out to be unfounded, untrue and without substance.

 

All that said, the guy is having a pretty good year and I was surpised he didn't come up when Rabelo went down but because I'm not a lunatic conspirarcist the only conclusion a rational human being can draw is that defensively he's still lacking.

 

That was the knock on him in previous years both here and when he was in the Oakland organization. If you saw his play this spring it might make more sense to you why he is where he is and why Hoover is where he is.

 

Twice this season, in April and last month, the Marlins had to make a choice between two veteran minor league catchers. Both times they made the same choice. It wasn't by accident and if you look at their minor league records and years in the minors, AND dollars, it becomes obvious it has nothing to do their futures in the major leagues (because neither has one) or anything other than who brought the most talent to the team.

 

 

Blah blah blah blah blah it still always comes down to $$$ and ??? with Loria. That I know we can say "WE ALL KNOW THAT". Until Jeffery Loria is gone, and cheapness is no longer a Marlin by-word, I will always maintain that everything in this organization is done because of $$$.

Bingo.

 

It's Heywood Jablome...I knew it.

 

A leopard doesn't change its spots.

Can I chase Kevin Gregg away?

Can I chase Kevin Gregg away?

 

You can. But a season ago he was a savior and and off-season ago people thought he had the hghest trade value of almost any (non-star) player on the team. His eyeglass thing is frustrating and perplexing, externally it seems so easy to get the right prescription in this day and age (so I suspect it's as much psychosomatic as anything) but that said at this point, mb.com, where rushing to conclusions is a daily occurance, at least seeing if he can work his way out of this funk between now and the end of the month seem not irrational.

 

(And this comes from someone who admits as far back as mid-June to sitting in the stands playing video games on my cell phone so I didn't have to watch him pitch the ninth so I share the frustration everyone has. I have it too.)

I actually wouldn't be surprised at all if that were the case. When they hired Fredi, they were looking for someone that could be their puppet. They wanted someone to be the opposite of what Joe Girardi was.

 

Remember as the story goes Beinfest almost quit when Loria went behind his back and hired Girardi. Beinfest was ready to hire Freddi then and there.

 

...can we stop talking about Girardi?

He was an overrated manager. It's a lot easier to manage when your SP's are going 6,7 innings on a consistent basis (Willis, JJ, Anibal, Nolasco, Olsen)...Girardi had pretty good SP / young talent, that year, despite the fact he was made out to be the best manager ever.

 

How's he doing now in the Bronx, where his rotation hasn't been as good?

 

This is the same Girardi, who brought back Johnson after a long rain delay...this is the same Girardi who constantly blew games, as well, by bringing Matt Herges in every day, for the first couple months of the year. This is the same Girardi who pinch-ran for the pinch-runner.

 

Big deal...he's gone; move on.

 

It is amazing, when someone is on your team they iare great, as soon as they are gone, we hear how bad they were, never burn bridges behind you, someday you may have to turn back.

1. Everyone must remember the Florida Marlins have a 21.8 million dollar payroll, thats tough enough.

 

2. We dont have alot of options due to the money issue and almost all our rookie prospects are now pitching for the Marlins.

 

3. The blame cannot be put on Beinfest (he has made alot of quality moves you know) or Fredi's (thrown into the fire to manage a team, that doesnt have alot of money) shoulders, it has to be Loria he owns the team makes most of the crucial decisions.

 

4. Would I like to see Freddi show more fire?! OF COURSE! but as has also been said thats not his personality and I dont see him all of a sudden becoming another Bobby Cox.

 

5. I love the Florida Marlins but sadly they are not the New York Yankees we dont wipe our ass with money we are competitive almost every year with way below average funds.

 

Props to the Marlins for doing as well as they have to this point.

 

O yea,

 

:gofish