Here is the LINK

Florida to make offers to Rodriguez, Castillo

 

By Joe Capozzi, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Monday, November 10, 2003

 

 

With the free-agent market officially open for business, the Florida Marlins will take the first step toward owner Jeffrey Loria's "no-dismantling" order by extending offers this week to catcher Pudge Rodriguez and second baseman Luis Castillo.

 

Whether the Marlins actually can entice the duo to return remains to be seen. Loria has every intention of fielding a team that can defend its World Series title, something former owner Wayne Huizenga didn't do when he ordered a fire sale of players in the off-season after the 1997 championship.

 

General Manager Admin Beinfest and his staff know the baseball world will be watching how they proceed this week at the annual general managers' meetings, which start today at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. But the Marlins won't put themselves in a financial hole to avoid public criticism.

 

"It's going to be made clear to all players and to all representatives, that there is no emotion in how we run our business. There is only practicality,'' team President David Samson said.

 

"There are players who we want back and will try as hard as we can to have come back, but when it goes past that point, and it's hard to really put a finger on what that point is, we will bow out gracefully and thank them for their time.''

 

That "point" Samson referred to will be determined by how much Loria is willing to spend on his 2004 roster. Although he says he lost at least $20 million last year, there is speculation he will approve a payroll of about $60 million -- about $10 million more than last season's opening-day payroll.

 

Still, estimates at what it could cost to keep the 2003 roster together start at $80 million. So a player or two will have to go.

 

"Jeffrey has not given us a final payroll, which obviously will shape how we move ahead,'' said Beinfest, who will arrive in Phoenix today. "I don't know exactly what the scope of the meetings will be next week. Last year was different.''

 

Last year, the Marlins used the general managers' meetings to set up the deal that sent Preston Wilson and Charles Johnson to Colorado for Juan Pierre and Mike Hampton, who then was traded to Atlanta.

 

Loria already has shown he is serious about trying to bring back the core roster. Last week, he gave Beinfest permission to work on offers for Rodriguez, Castillo and third baseman Mike Lowell, who is in his final year of arbitration.

 

But Samson said the Marlins won't be pressured by other teams who will pursue Rodriguez and Castillo, the highest-profile players of Florida's 10 free agents.

 

"Winning the World Series does not take away the need to make sound financial decisions,'' Samson said. "We will not let this team be paralyzed by any individual player or group of players because the overall health of the franchise is much more critical.''

 

Teams rarely publicly divulge what they're willing to offer a player, but Samson on Friday shed some light on what the Marlins wouldn't do for Castillo, who made $4.85 million in 2003.

 

Told that the New York Yankees are targeting Castillo, Samson said: "Admin is working with me and Jeffrey right now in putting together an offer for Luis and we think it is an offer that will be reasonable and good. I can't control what other teams do. Now if it looks like someone is going to sign Luis to three years for $10 million a year, congratulations. That's great for him.''

 

The Marlins still owe Rodriguez $7 million in deferred money from the one-year, $10 million deal he signed in January. Any deal almost certainly would have to include more deferred money. And since Rodriguez turns 32 this month, the Marlins probably wouldn't offer him more than two years.

 

Asked about Florida's chances of persuading Rodriguez to return, Samson said, "It requires two parties to be reasonable, and I think we are going to show that we are reasonable.''

 

Asked the same question, Beinfest replied: "You never know until you start talking and we're not there yet to where I'd even have a feel. We'll talk to the representatives again, and move forward from there.

 

"Obviously, we'd like to keep the momentum going. We have our work cut out. We need to reallocate resources and keep key people.''

nothing new really, just that The Post is a day late

I think that if we can atleast keep I-Rod, Castillo and Mike Lowell, then we are in good shape. We may lose D-Lee, but atleast Jeff will be able to take over in 1st and Cabs to left.

 

 

 

We'll see what happens.

One scary thing....

 

Why is Sampson at the GM meetings? Did Loria forget to lock his crib before he left?

 

Somehow I think that Beinfest is capable enough to hold down the fort at the meetings without mini-me running around running his yap.

SAMSON

 

damn, that is so frustrating lol...

Sampson Sampson Sampson.....

 

Na Nah

 

I do it just to irritate ya Ramp!

 

It's the small things in life, I guess. Either that or I need to get out more.

yea, i know Fillet....

It's too bad Castillo is going to end up on the white sox.... :shifty

It's too bad Castillo is going to end up on the white sox.... :shifty

:mischief2

Truthfully, I would rather us lose Castillo than Pudge. I think we can find a reasonable replacement at 2B. Even Pudge is not a must from a baseball standpoint, but from a PR standpoint. And give that 3 years @$10MM to Jose Guillen and trade Enc - just my thought...

If we can keep Pudge we would be very good. The pitchers are very confident with him behind the plate.

 

Also we need his bat in the lineup. I dont think Lee can make up for Pudge's bat in the lineup. I hope Pudge accepts the deal and they can work things out with the agent.

Truthfully, I would rather us lose Castillo than Pudge. I think we can find a reasonable replacement at 2B. Even Pudge is not a must from a baseball standpoint, but from a PR standpoint. And give that 3 years @$10MM to Jose Guillen and trade Enc - just my thought...

Just a quick question but why Jose Guillen. He has shown in the past that he is a Frank Thomas esque player in that its "All because of me that we won." He also has never been a consistant player and we know how that can turn out for that money...They just fall away into busts or can turn in to gold mines.

It's too bad Castillo is going to end up on the white sox.... :shifty

:mischief2

I want Luis to stay as much as anyone but if Luis goes, who cares where he goes, especially if it's out of our division and our league? The White Sox? Fine with me. I wouldn't even mind him going to St. Louis, at least there he could beat up on the Cubs all season (the "old enemy of my enemy is my friend" thing). I think the point is, even though OM is part teasing I suspect, there's a strong chance Luis is gone, and I wish him well. He's a h*lluva player and if he wants to go he's earned the right.

 

Pudge is number one, for play and for PR. His standing, screaming, holding that ball in total defiance of the whole world was and will forever be the image of your World Champion Florida Marlins. That has enormous value to both sides. And both sides will use it to their advantage in negotiations. But in the end, short of an ego-driven deal by some cowboy GM, Pudge and the Fish need each other too much not to make a deal.

 

Lowell has a year left and he has to wait his turn. It's as simple as that. My guess is Lowell isn't signed until spring training at the earliest although I wouldn't be disappointed to be proved wrong and they do a deal before arbitration. He alluded to it on Sports Jam tonight, he knows he's playing here in 2004 regardless of whether he has a longterm deal. But the point is he is not the immediate problem that Pudge and to a lesser degree Castillo are.