If he can throw accurately to first, then fine.

 

Personally, I'm just hopeful that Ozuna can return healthy in Spring, have a strong Spring, hit really well in AA, and then come up in June to take over center and bat in the middle of the lineup.

For what it's worth, Saltalamacchia is not a bad defensive catcher.

 

With that said, paying him 3/30 would still be the worst idea ever.

" We dont need a catcher. We have Kyle. He can be our starter. Next topic!"

 

- J Loria

For what it's worth, Saltalamacchia is not a bad defensive catcher.

 

With that said, paying him 3/30 would still be the worst idea ever.

 

I don't really care what the figures are to bring him here. As I said, I don't have to write his check. 3/15, 3/30, doesn't matter to me...

Except this is his first year having an OPS over .800, and he's played in hitter's parks his entire career. He had an OPS under .700 in Texas. TEXAS. It's more a prediction than an opinion that he'd hit like s*** here. It's not an opinion, it's a fact that he is not a good hitter, and his "help" to this lineup would be minimal at best. You overpay for a game changer, not a guy who's playing above his level.

 

Mathis is not one of the worst catchers in baseball. The worst HITTING catcher? Yes. Worst at the position of catcher? No.

 

Salty is a game changer when you consider the bat he's replacing. Mathis isn't just the worst hitting catcher in baseball... He's the worst by a wide margin. His defense is irrelevant because his bat is SO terrible.

 

We should just go with your idea... Let's sign Soto and go after that 1st pick again next year. Suck for Rodon!!! Go losing!!!

 

And you say signing Salty makes us a 98 game loser instead of 100. That may be so, but if you keep Mathis, you are committing to another losing season. Did you think a player like Nick Swisher could help the Indians turn around from 94 losses to the playoffs? We have the rotation, we have the bullpen. We really are just a couple bats away from being a pretty damn good team... But if you don't try to improve, you can't expect to improve.

 

 

Dude I hear what you are saying but when it comes to catching defense is everything you can ask any pitcher or any manager...someone was critical of CJ but he was the prototypical catcher...unbelievably accurate and strong arm a top defender and excellent power...If the Marlins could ever reproduce that, that would be amazing. Most catchers don't keep high offensives stats because the rigors of the position wears on them as the season goes by...anyone who saw Bench knows if he would had played any other position he might have reached the 500 HR mark (he had enough power to hit 600)...Catching is purely a defensive position and has been for many years....Look at the careers of Bob Boone, Jim Sundberg and Randy Hudley

For what it's worth, Saltalamacchia is not a bad defensive catcher.

 

With that said, paying him 3/30 would still be the worst idea ever.

 

I don't really care what the figures are to bring him here. As I said, I don't have to write his check. 3/15, 3/30, doesn't matter to me...

 

 

Blank check

Or, of course, sign Abreu. THAT'S a game changer. Not Saltalamacchia, who you said we should go for at 3 years, $30 mill. Abreu would be the same cost about, if Loria is going up to $60 mill for him. Maybe even less per year. Trade Morrison for a catcher or shortstop, or both if a team is willing. Throw in Dunn and/or Webb, make it sweeter for the receiving team.

 

 

 

I don't see how any team gives up a starting catcher or shortstop -- let alone both! -- for Logan Morrison. Dunn and/or Webb help. Maybe 2 or all 3 get us a good SS or C prospect in AA/AAA, but that'd probably have to be some clever deadline dealing, too.

What I see the Marlins doing is maybe trading some of the pitching for hitting.

 

The Angels seem like a good fit. They're in desperate need of young pitching and it's been rumored that they'd be willing to trade guys like Trumbo, Kendrick, etc.

 

I would actually trade a couple of pitchers if we could get both of those guys. While I think they're flawed players, they're great improvements to our lineup and we wouldn't have to pay free-agent money to get them. Also, after Fernandez, just about every pitcher in the organization is probably going to give you the same production. So just give them the pitchers they want for Trumbo/Kendrick. We get two bats there, and we'd still have a core of young pitching. We could even sign a pitcher for a year and have him rejuvenate his career (Josh Johnson?) since that's pretty easy to do here.

And the Angels would certainly be interested in our relievers, too. They have Frieri (who's really not that great) closing games, Sean Burnett coming back from injury, and then nothing. They want to win (as you can tell by the money they've spent) and their bullpen has been a big problem for years now. We could throw relievers in the deal.

I don't mind the idea of trading pitching for offense, and that's likely what will happen. Finding the right match is the tricky part.

 

Do you see Trumbo here at 1B and dump LoMo or at 3B? Because I don't see them giving up pitching to get Trumbo to play 3B for a year or two while CoMo gets ready. If they trade for a guy like that they're gonna want him to be here for a long while. How much club control does he have left?

I don't mind the idea of trading pitching for offense, and that's likely what will happen. Finding the right match is the tricky part.

 

Do you see Trumbo here at 1B and dump LoMo or at 3B? Because I don't see them giving up pitching to get Trumbo to play 3B for a year or two while CoMo gets ready. If they trade for a guy like that they're gonna want him to be here for a long while. How much club control does he have left?

 

 

1B. His first arb. year is 2014 and he becomes a free agent 2017.

I don't even like Trumbo, but he's definitely better than Morrison. Morrison kinda sucks. They should trade him to some team for a pitcher or let him do what Dobbs does. He can't do what Dobbs does because he's not professional enough so that leaves a trade as the only option.

Also, after Fernandez, just about every pitcher in the organization is probably going to give you the same production. So just give them the pitchers they want for Trumbo/Kendrick. We get two bats there, and we'd still have a core of young pitching. We could even sign a pitcher for a year and have him rejuvenate his career (Josh Johnson?) since that's pretty easy to do here.

 

 

Really? I mean, Heaney, Alvarez, and some others definitely have a higher ceiling than the lesser-regarded pitchers. I don't think that's a fair blanket statement. JJ looks like he's toast. Plus, the reasons a guy like that could "rejuvenate" his career here -- assuming you're referring to the huge park -- also benefit all the other pitchers.

Sign Mike Piazza, all problems solved.

For what it's worth, Saltalamacchia is not a bad defensive catcher.

 

With that said, paying him 3/30 would still be the worst idea ever.

 

I don't really care what the figures are to bring him here. As I said, I don't have to write his check. 3/15, 3/30, doesn't matter to me...

 

 

No one is disputing that. I just dont understand why you want Saltalamacchia on the Marlins so bad in the first place.

 

He is fresh off a career year and his average year isnt that far separated from what Jeff Mathis gives you.

Writing a blank check to Saltalamacchia is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.

Writing a blank check to Saltalamacchia is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.

 

 

There's no way he literally meant a blank check.

Writing a blank check to Saltalamacchia is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.

 

 

There's no way he literally meant a blank check.

 

 

He's basically saying that the Marlins should overpay by any means to ensure that they sign him. That's practically the same thing.

If I'm Loria I sell the goddamn team. If he really wants one more go at the postseason, he should wait until after next season to make another big splash. Sign everyone, roll the dice, and if it doesn't work, sell the f***ing team as I cannot take another roster overhaul.

 

Stop with the stupid sign a catcher after a career year talk. We did that with John Buck. Worked out great, didn't it?

 

 

Loria isn't selling. He's making money too easily.

They lost 47 mill in '12, and not even the Herald disputes that. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Loria has, over the entire period of his ownership sustained a net operating loss.

 

If true, and if one wants Loria to go away, that would be a good thing as it would leave a sale as the ONLY way for him to realize any gain.

All of this ignoring the incredible value this franchise now has compared to when he was given the team.

 

Ah, the increase in value is exactly what I was talking about. He only realizes it on a sale.

 

Anyone who wants Loria gone should hope that he's getting very tired of negative-or-very-paltry returns on his 158.5 mill investment.

 

The M-D county penalty on a sale goes from 7.5% today down to 5% in March of '14. It's zero after March '18. And it only applies to sale proceeds in excess of 250 mill, so divide by 2 to get the approximate effect on the total sale price.

 

In any case, the penalty is already down to a relatively small amount, certainly not much of an impediment to a sale if Loria wants out. Using very round numbers, would Loria pay 13 mill to M-D to realize a 350 mill gain? I don't see why not.

 

The tax due on the capital gain would be a far larger disincentive to sell. 23.8% of 350 mill is an 83 mill hit. So, if he sold today for, say, 508 mill, he'd wind up with about 405 mill after cap gains taxes and the current 7.5% M-D penalty.

 

Anyone who wants Loria gone better hope that he doesn't care about the 83 mill, because if he holds it until he dies, the tax basis of the asset to the inheritors increases to the value at the time of death -- and the 83 mill in cap gains tax never gets paid by anyone.

Writing a blank check to Saltalamacchia is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.

 

There's no way he literally meant a blank check.

He's basically saying that the Marlins should overpay by any means to ensure that they sign him. That's practically the same thing.

 

Right, I was just saying he doesn't literally mean a blank check.

 

I do like Saltalamacchia but Wild Card is going over board, IMO. He'd be a nice signing based on potential at the right price. Not at 3/30, though.