I am shocked to see this coming from you Erick. You always have ripped on "closers." That you don't need a top notch guy to win. What changed? Is it we wont be stuck with him?

 

With that said I like the idea.

I am shocked to see this coming from you Erick. You always have ripped on "closers." That you don't need a top notch guy to win. What changed? Is it we wont be stuck with him?

 

With that said I like the idea.

 

My guess is that it has nothing to do with him being a "closer", it has to do with him being very good. Even away from San Diego he had a 1.59 ERA last year.

I am shocked to see this coming from you Erick. You always have ripped on "closers." That you don't need a top notch guy to win. What changed? Is it we wont be stuck with him?

 

With that said I like the idea.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS2belEBXyM

I am shocked to see this coming from you Erick. You always have ripped on "closers." That you don't need a top notch guy to win. What changed? Is it we wont be stuck with him?

 

With that said I like the idea.

 

My guess is that it has nothing to do with him being a "closer", it has to do with him being very good. Even away from San Diego he had a 1.59 ERA last year.

 

Lies. Next Erick is going to stick it to the folk community by adding more than just an electric guitar into his song.

 

(5 dollars to the riddle solver)

I think its because Bell has outstanding leadership qualities

I think its because Bell has outstanding leadership qualities

 

 

Which is, of course, due to his age.

The explanation (this is so important it deserves it's own show like LeBron's decision...:whistle )

 

Anyway...

 

Like Rab said, it has nothing to do with the inning he pitches; just the fact that he's very good.

 

While he's probably not worth the money that he's going to get, you have to look at the current roster.

Paying a closer money isn't stupid; I never said it was. It's just stupid to do so when you have a limited payroll, and have other areas of the team to fix.

 

However, look at what the Marlins have done.

 

They traded their All-Star 2B, and the main piece they got in return was...a bullpen arm.

They traded Cameron Maybin who many still say has the potential to become a quality big league every-day player for...two bullpen arms.

 

The bullpen has been upgraded, significantly. The pitching, in general, has been upgraded. We have a very nice staff.

 

Look at the offense; it's not really the same type of offense. There are question marks. I think the offense will be fine, but unlike past years with Uggla, etc., this team is going to have trouble if it tries winning games by trying to outslug the opponent.

 

Teams that can't outslug opponents are forced to play in tighter ballgames, and in order to win tight ballgames, you NEED a strong bullpen (look at the Padres last year, for example...our offense is better than their's was, but my point still stands).

 

If Leo Nunez was cheap, I'd be absolutely fine with him. Fact of the matter is, last year was his best year (in terms of peripherals/everything), but the results weren't consistently there. $4 million is not cheap, and I'm just not a fan of giving an unproven 65 inning reliever that kind of money. Trade him now while his value might be at its highest.

If we're going to be paying a closer legit money, I'd rather it be paid to a proven, legit reliever.

 

Also...it's a 1 year contract. I am always opposed to giving relievers multiple years for legit money, as the Tigers did with Benoit this offseason, for example.

The risk in trading for Bell would be practically nothing. As long as Morrison/Coghlan/Dominguez are not involved, I'm absolutely fine with it; I think something could be done, if the Padres decide they want to trade him.

 

Last but not least, the Marlins are the type of team right now, where you can say..."hey, they're maybe a legit shutdown reliever away from being a legit playoff contender." The team on the field is solid, the pitching is well above average, and the pen is much improved. We are not the Royals paying Joakim Soria serious cash to be a closer, knowing that the rest of their team sucks.

 

If you have a plan in place, you might as well finish it. The bullpen has clearly been the priority this offseason, so just finish it off.

 

And if the question is...well, what about the other area's of need on the team? There aren't many. The lefty pinch-hitter is already on the team, imo (Baker). The CF free agents suck, and you're not just going to get one that you want, without a significant return going the other team's way. If the Marlins get another CF'er, it'll be a cheap find. The lefty reliever (if there's even room/a need for one) can be had for cheap, too.

 

You don't necessarily NEED two lefty relievers, if you have a bunch of righty relievers who can get lefties out, btw.

There aren't many teams in the big leagues with two good lefty relievers. That would be great for our pen, but not necessarily a need.

 

If you get a Bell to go along with Hensley, Webb, Mujica, Badenhop, Sanches, and Dunn, that has the makings of a very good, top-notch bullpen. Top-notch bullpens are always awesome when the rest of your team is playoff caliber (as is the case with the Marlins).

Sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com that the Marlins would "love get in on" Heath Bell if the Padres decide to move him.

 

They won't be alone there. Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday that he expects Bell to open the 2011 season as his closer, but that doesn't mean he'll stay there. Look for him to be dealt by the trade deadline if (or when, really) the Padres fall out of the race.

Sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com that the Marlins would "love get in on" Heath Bell if the Padres decide to move him.

 

They won't be alone there. Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday that he expects Bell to open the 2011 season as his closer, but that doesn't mean he'll stay there. Look for him to be dealt by the trade deadline if (or when, really) the Padres fall out of the race.

 

I saw the press conference and the Padres GM looked like someone had just died. I don't buy the 'Heath Bell will be our closer in 2011' line. There was way too much talk of taking a step back to take 2 steps forward later on for them to truly want to hold onto a closer. Heath Bell would be an incredibly sexy addition, but it's the price that scares me. I don't want to further deplete our lineup.

Sources MarlinsBaseball.com posters tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com that the Marlins fans would "love get in on" Heath Bell if the Padres decide to move him.

 

They won't be alone there. What fanbase wouldn't want Heath Bell? Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday that he expects Bell to open the 2011 season as his closer, but that doesn't mean he'll stay there. Look for him to be dealt by the trade deadline if (or when, really) the Padres fall out of the race.

 

All better.

It would be better to make the move now, if we're going to make the move.

 

His value would be higher at the trade deadline, and it'd be more likely that we'd have to give up a guy like Dominguez, in such a trade.

Sources MarlinsBaseball.com posters tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com that the Marlins fans would "love get in on" Heath Bell if the Padres decide to move him.

 

They won't be alone there. What fanbase wouldn't want Heath Bell? Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday that he expects Bell to open the 2011 season as his closer, but that doesn't mean he'll stay there. Look for him to be dealt by the trade deadline if (or when, really) the Padres fall out of the race.

 

All better.

 

 

I'm sure Ken Rosenthal wasn't reading marlinsbaseball.com at the time he wrote what he wrote.

This isn't surprising; the Marlins have been interested in Heath Bell for awhile. It really boils down to whether or not the Padres want to trade him/what the Padres want in return for him.

 

The Marlins have done pretty much anything and everything this offseason to improve their bullpen. They wouldn't pass up on Bell if they received a fair asking price.

Question? If we are willing to trade for Heath Bell and his 7M salary, why not sign Jenks for around 4.5M and keep the players too?

Sources MarlinsBaseball.com posters tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com that the Marlins fans would "love get in on" Heath Bell if the Padres decide to move him.

 

They won't be alone there. What fanbase wouldn't want Heath Bell? Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday that he expects Bell to open the 2011 season as his closer, but that doesn't mean he'll stay there. Look for him to be dealt by the trade deadline if (or when, really) the Padres fall out of the race.

 

All better.

 

 

I'm sure Ken Rosenthal wasn't reading marlinsbaseball.com at the time he wrote what he wrote.

This isn't surprising; the Marlins have been interested in Heath Bell for awhile. It really boils down to whether or not the Padres want to trade him/what the Padres want in return for him.

 

The Marlins have done pretty much anything and everything this offseason to improve their bullpen. They wouldn't pass up on Bell if they received a fair asking price.

 

 

Oh you bitter, unfun, serious Erick.

 

Just seemed like it was all too perfect lol.

Question? If we are willing to trade for Heath Bell and his 7M salary, why not sign Jenks for around 4.5M and keep the players too?

 

 

 

Jenks won't be anywhere near that cheap. He's a free agent; he'll likely make 7+, and will probably want a multi-year contract, as well.

Sources MarlinsBaseball.com posters tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com that the Marlins fans would "love get in on" Heath Bell if the Padres decide to move him.

 

They won't be alone there. What fanbase wouldn't want Heath Bell? Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday that he expects Bell to open the 2011 season as his closer, but that doesn't mean he'll stay there. Look for him to be dealt by the trade deadline if (or when, really) the Padres fall out of the race.

 

All better.

 

 

I'm sure Ken Rosenthal wasn't reading marlinsbaseball.com at the time he wrote what he wrote.

 

He may not be, but I have good sources that tell me that Peter Gammons has been a member of this forum since 2003.

I assume that any trade that brings Bell to Miami would be followed by one shipping Leo Nunez out.

Sources MarlinsBaseball.com posters tell Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com that the Marlins fans would "love get in on" Heath Bell if the Padres decide to move him.

 

They won't be alone there. What fanbase wouldn't want Heath Bell? Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday that he expects Bell to open the 2011 season as his closer, but that doesn't mean he'll stay there. Look for him to be dealt by the trade deadline if (or when, really) the Padres fall out of the race.

 

All better.

 

 

I'm sure Ken Rosenthal wasn't reading marlinsbaseball.com at the time he wrote what he wrote.

 

He may not be, but I have good sources that tell me that Peter Gammons has been a member of this forum since 2003.

Sure he is.

I assume that any trade that brings Bell to Miami would be followed by one shipping Leo Nunez out.

 

 

Could we not directly trade Nunez to San Diego and throw in 1 other prospect for Bell?

I assume that any trade that brings Bell to Miami would be followed by one shipping Leo Nunez out.

 

 

Could we not directly trade Nunez to San Diego and throw in 1 other prospect for Bell?

 

I'd love this, as it would be such an obvious upgrade for us directly. Nonetheless, I gotta ask... whats up with the Padres suddenly not looking like contenders in 2011? They were a surprise story in 2010 but they just barely missed the playoffs... why are they suddenly trading away key pieces as if they had no chance in 2011?

 

Seems to me that if the Marlins had a season like the Padres had in 2010... Loria and company would be clamoring to add a few big signings and INSISTING that we make the playoffs the next year. I don't follow the Pads closely but I dunno, seems weird that they'd cut back after getting so close last season.

I assume that any trade that brings Bell to Miami would be followed by one shipping Leo Nunez out.

 

 

Could we not directly trade Nunez to San Diego and throw in 1 other prospect for Bell?

 

 

No. For that, they'd just keep Bell. They're rebuilding, so they're going to want players who are young, have some upside, and are cheap for years to come.

I assume that any trade that brings Bell to Miami would be followed by one shipping Leo Nunez out.

 

 

Could we not directly trade Nunez to San Diego and throw in 1 other prospect for Bell?

 

I'd love this, as it would be such an obvious upgrade for us directly. Nonetheless, I gotta ask... whats up with the Padres suddenly not looking like contenders in 2011? They were a surprise story in 2010 but they just barely missed the playoffs... why are they suddenly trading away key pieces as if they had no chance in 2011?

 

Seems to me that if the Marlins had a season like the Padres had in 2010... Loria and company would be clamoring to add a few big signings and INSISTING that we make the playoffs the next year. I don't follow the Pads closely but I dunno, seems weird that they'd cut back after getting so close last season.

 

Their fans don't attend games, and they don't have the money supposedly. Basically the same things we've grown accustomed to here, in the past.

I assume that any trade that brings Bell to Miami would be followed by one shipping Leo Nunez out.

 

 

Could we not directly trade Nunez to San Diego and throw in 1 other prospect for Bell?

 

I'd love this, as it would be such an obvious upgrade for us directly. Nonetheless, I gotta ask... whats up with the Padres suddenly not looking like contenders in 2011? They were a surprise story in 2010 but they just barely missed the playoffs... why are they suddenly trading away key pieces as if they had no chance in 2011?

 

Seems to me that if the Marlins had a season like the Padres had in 2010... Loria and company would be clamoring to add a few big signings and INSISTING that we make the playoffs the next year. I don't follow the Pads closely but I dunno, seems weird that they'd cut back after getting so close last season.

 

Their fans don't attend games, and they don't have the money supposedly. Basically the same things we've grown accustomed to here, in the past.

 

Point taken... but when they were as close as they were in 2010... how can they not at least keep their core and hope to inch even closer? I understand the comparison to us, but then again, when Loria gets embarrassed by being "so close, yet so far" he'd be the first to demand we make the right moves to move forward.

He may not be, but I have good sources that tell me that Peter Gammons has been a member of this forum since 2003.

 

 

DIM IS PETER GAMMONS DIM IS PETER GAMMONS !!!!!

Well, to be fair, Adrian Gonzalez is going to get a massive extension that not too many teams can afford.

 

Regarding Heath Bell...

1. They might as well trade him if they're not going to contend. What's the point of a highly paid closer on a non-contending team?

2. Their bullpen is the one part of the team that's legit; they don't even need Bell/his salary.

 

They're not totally giving up, and probably won't be flat out awful next year. They still have good young pitching, acquired a veteran innings-eater in Aaron Harang who will probably do better at Petco Park (who doesn't?), upgraded in CF with Maybin's potential.

 

It's basically last year's team without Adrian Gonzalez. I'd expect them to be non-contenders, but I don't think they'll be awful. .500 type record with a bright future. I don't necessarily like what they got from the Red Sox, but Kelly projects to be pretty legit; their future rotation is going to be really good. Best in baseball if they can all pan out to their projected potential. Latos, Kelly, Castro, Luebke is nice. Plus studs like Gregerson and Frieri in the pen. They're building. Their everyday lineup will always be defensive-minded because there's no point in building an offensive powerhouse playing half the games at Petco Park, anyway.