Pudge came up huge for us in the playoffs, but during the season he was just another part of our team. The national media (the ones who never saw a marlin game until the postseason) act as if he was such an important part to our team, but if you think about it he was not that important.

 

We had the best record in baseball after the first couple of months and Pudge was an average catcher for us statistically. We are already gaining Burnett to a WS team, and I feel Castro is gonna be a star- even if he cannot match pudge's BA he most likely will hit more homers. Also, if we go with Castro we can shore up our bullpen more and keep Redman as insurance for Burnett. Pudge was a postseason hero, but I think we have a lot of guys waiting to be hero's on this team.

Pudge came up huge for us in the playoffs, but during the season he was just another part of our team. The national media (the ones who never saw a marlin game until the postseason) act as if he was such an important part to our team, but if you think about it he was not that important.

 

We had the best record in baseball after the first couple of months and Pudge was an average catcher for us statistically. We are already gaining Burnett to a WS team, and I feel Castro is gonna be a star- even if he cannot match pudge's BA he most likely will hit more homers. Also, if we go with Castro we can shore up our bullpen more and keep Redman as insurance for Burnett. Pudge was a postseason hero, but I think we have a lot of guys waiting to be hero's on this team.

Huh? Pudge may have started off slow in the first half, but he was worth the entire $10M the second half and through the playoffs. I agree we shouldn't overpay, but I guarantee you Pudge will have a positive effect on gate receipts, so at the right price, he will be worth every penny again.

 

Castro has great potential, and no doubt he is a power hitter...but he doesn't have the fan appeal of Pudge.......or the leadership.

 

We need Pudge.....and he needs us. I hope we get a deal this weekend.

Pudge batted .297 with 16 homers and 85 RBI's, good numbers no doubt-especially for a catcher, but not irreplaceable. People put a lot of credence in signing big names, but what brings fans to the ballpark is winning, especially in South Florida. Pudge was clutch in the playoffs, but Castro will be an adequate replacement. Look at it this way

 

Pudge or Castro + 7 million

 

IMO Castro may end up being better than pudge even when you don't figure in money, but when you factor in the 7 million it is a no brainer. As far as leadership I think Conine will fill that void and Lowell is the real leader anyway.

 

Think about it like this...... As a small market team we MUST make sacrifices. Why not make sacrifices where we are almost sure to get productivity from the fill-in rather than making bullpen sacrifices. If we sign Pudge we are gonna have a cut and paste bullpen and no closer at all. I say we let pudge walk and use his money where we have no immediate replacement available.

Pudge = greedy, pudge with boras= VERY greedy, Pudge not taking the marlins 3 year 20 moillion dollar contract by Sunday= good go after Javy, Pudge playing for O's or scrubs= priceless there are some things money can't buy.

pudge gotta go... anybody with a statue of themself and crusing the seas on a yaht 3 days before the signing deadline, we dont need.

The Marlins should stand firm with their offer. I think they will. They've offered all that they can, and the deal isn't going to get any richer. It's all up to Pudge now. He can take the offer, or he can test the free agent market. I don't know why he'd decide to test free agency...there doesn't seem to be the level of interest that would indicate he's going to get any better than 2/16, or 3/20 put up by the Fish. He'll probably end up playing somewhere else, getting about the same amount of money. I say he's better off taking what the Marlins are putting out there.

We are all in agreement here, so it seems. We all would like to have Pudge back, at the right price - and PBMarlin has that right. Key is 'at the right price' because there are a lot of intangibles re-signing Pudge would bring. This team would continue its championship identity and that would translate (you hope) to better revenue (for H-bomb, and eventually for Loria). I agree, there is more value in playing Castro over Pudge - because Pudge is still going to cost you $7M at this point, but again, the intangibles will help secure the legacy for this franchise.

 

In fairness, Pudge should take this deal because look at what Lowell took. Then look at Castillo - these guys committed to being here and money was not the issue. We will know more about Pudge's character as a result of this winter. His legacy, in fact, will be tied into this deal. Champion? Or money-grubbing mercenary? Unfair, yes, but true.