FISH FOOD: The Marlins are already concerned enough about the back of their bullpen to start (ahem) fishing around in search of a reliever who can be, for lack of a better term, this year's Ugueth Urbina. (No Alcatraz jokes, please.)As all you Marlins historians will recall, in 2003 the Fish went out and acquired Urbina from Texas and wound up installing him as the closer by October, in front of the less-experienced Braden Looper. And from all indications, the Marlins would love to add a back-end bullpen arm again this year, to complement Matt Lindstrom and Leo Nunez.

 

It's way too early to speculate on who that might be. But here's one potential shopping list of relievers who could be out there around the deadline, depending on how their teams' seasons go, according to clubs we've surveyed:

 

Jose Valverde, Huston Street, LaTroy Hawkins, Alan Embree, Russ Springer, Octavio Dotel, Matt Thornton, Flash Gordon, Eddie Guardado, John Grabow, Ron Mahay and virtually the entire bullpen in Baltimore (especially George Sherrill, Danys Baez and Jamie Walker). Just to name a dozen or so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This kinda leads me to believe they don't have much faith in [at least some of] the guys they have now, let alone Proctor,

I'll take Thornton or Grabow.

If Lindstrom continues to have no idea where the strike zone is and we are in the thick of things in July, we may have no choice but to make a trade for one of those guys. I wouldn't mind trading one of our pitching prospects like Thompson/Tucker/West to get a solid closer like Valverde for a few months. I know a lot of you don't like mortgaging the future for short term gains, but luckily our pitching depth is deep enough to allow us to do something like this.

To write about trade deadline deals in April is ridiculous. Stark probably just needed top fill space and threw this crap in there. He's the worst of the ESPN baseball writers.

Thornton is a disgusting lefty. I remember seeing him in the WBC throwing an easy 97-98.

 

I really dont think gordon, street or hawkins could help us. Im assuming their lack of confidence is in Lindstrom and they will get a closer if we need to.

If Lindstrom continues to have no idea where the strike zone is and we are in the thick of things in July, we may have no choice but to make a trade for one of those guys. I wouldn't mind trading one of our pitching prospects like Thompson/Tucker/West to get a solid closer like Valverde for a few months. I know a lot of you don't like mortgaging the future for short term gains, but luckily our pitching depth is deep enough to allow us to do something like this.

 

I don't think we have enough SP depth at all to trade Sean West. Tucker is probably destined for the bullpen, and Thompson is probably a #4/5 at best, maybe a long-relief swingman. I wouldn't mind dealing either of those if we are really in the thick of it and need a closer badly.

Just remember what the price tag for such a trade would really be. I don't agree with those who say trade West because I really don't in Miller or Sanchez and he is really the only guy we have that projects to be a legitimate ML starter. All in all it seems rather silly to be forced to trade serious talent for a rental when a couple hundred thousand dollars could have gotten us a vastly more secure bullpen.

Just remember what the price tag for such a trade would really be. I don't agree with those who say trade West because I really don't in Miller or Sanchez and he is really the only guy we have that projects to be a legitimate ML starter. All in all it seems rather silly to be forced to trade serious talent for a rental when a couple hundred thousand dollars could have gotten us a vastly more secure bullpen.

You absolutely don't trade West for RP help. It would have to be a big time player, like Aubrey Huff, to part ways with him.

 

The Marlins should be able to use Aaron Thompson and Dallas Trahern as legitimate RP bait this summer. Remember, Gaby Hernandez got Arthur Rhodes. That's about the same level of prospect with those other two.

It feels like every year we go and get bullpen help. But to speculate about it now, when we are only a month into the season is a bit foolish for Stark to write about. He basically put up every good to great BP name in teams that seem not to be contending...in April. Who knows where those teams (and arms) will be in 3 months?

It only mentions Nunez and Lindstrom, but Meyer and Kiko have done a nice job so far, as well.

Pinto seems to be getting by.

And Penn & Badenhop look nice in long relief.

 

Like...it wouldn't be bad to get relief pitching, but things are shaping up, nicely right now. Also...you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TRADE Sean West for one of these relievers.

You trade whoever you have to trade to whatever team you have to trade with if the end result is a team that is playing in October. That does not mean you dangle a West or Morrison or Stanton or fillintheblank, or you don't try everything possible not to trade a guy like West but it wouldn't be the end of the world if we did especially it the result is the big prize.

 

The likelihood though is you don't have to, that enough options are in play so either a group of lesser players to a rebuilding team or a soon to be free agent pitcher (aka another Arthur Rhodes) can be had for less than the max. That's what is missing from Stark's piece, the real-world alternatives that are sure to be there come the trading deadline.

While I'm extremely hsppy the MArlins won the 2003 WS, I remember at the time I was upset that they traded away Adrian Gonzalez to get Urbina, so its my hope that the team will keep some of what appear to be to long term pieces of the puzzle, but I also understand a championship today is better than the one you could/maybe/might win in the future.

Nny actually has some cool info regarding why Jose Valverde would be a really cool pickup for us... hopefully he reads this and posts it here

HOUSTON (AP) ? Astros closer Jose Valverde has had fluid drained from his strained right calf.

 

The Astros say team doctor David Lintner drew about 20 cubic centimeters of fluid from Valverde's calf on Thursday. Valverde will have another 60 cubic centimeters drained through a small incision Friday.

 

Valverde was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. The Astros say he is expected to be back at full strength within three weeks. He can be activated May 12.

 

He is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA and two saves this season.

 

AP

 

 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...SMi1bwD97T56804

Nny actually has some cool info regarding why Jose Valverde would be a really cool pickup for us... hopefully he reads this and posts it here

 

The only thing of note really is that he'd be a Type A FA at the end of the year, so we'd get two draft picks for him, thereby limiting the damage of what we give up.

 

The money he makes and the fact that HOU never realizes they suck and that a tons of teams would be in on him if he was made available means it's unlikely we'd trade for him, though.

Nny actually has some cool info regarding why Jose Valverde would be a really cool pickup for us... hopefully he reads this and posts it here

 

The only thing of note really is that he'd be a Type A FA at the end of the year, so we'd get two draft picks for him, thereby limiting the damage of what we give up.

 

The money he makes and the fact that HOU never realizes they suck and that a tons of teams would be in on him if he was made available means it's unlikely we'd trade for him, though.

 

Also, Houston knows he's a Type A as well, and I'm sure that would affect his trade return.

We REALLY need more bullpen help. This current bullpen is the difference between a good team and a great team.

Almost every team could use BP help (ask the Yankees!), FO will not overpay for help now.

 

Besides we're in first place right now & almost done with tough road schedule,

once starters go deeper in games BP wont be as much of an issue.

#1 The bullpen has had it's moments, but they've mostly been pretty good. We've got one CG this month and we are division leaders, and more than a few of them 1-3 run games, so clearly the bullpen hasn't been that bad.

#2 There's more reason to be concerned about long relief and the Miller/Taylor spot in the rotation right now then there is about the back end of the bullpen. Although Taylor's start today does give me some hope.

#3 It's May 1st and we have a 2-game lead on the division with a lot of guys who have yet to hit their stride. Not a time to be rushing to make trades.