Olsen, Willingham Traded to the Nationals
In a somewhat surprising move, the Fish have traded feisty Scott Olsen and fan favorite Josh Willingham to the Washington Nationals for Emilio Bonifacio, who hit .243 in 49 games last season, and two minors leaguers in pitcher P.J. Dean and shortstop Jake Smolinski, sources told ESPN’s Peter Gammons. Of course, the Florida Marlins are being tight lipped about the whole deal.
“We have nothing to say,” Larry Beinfest, the Marlins’ president of baseball operations, said while courtside watching the Miami Heat play the New Jersey Nets. “If that changes, I’ll let you know. We’re not planning on doing anything tonight.”
The rumors have been swirling for weeks now that Olsen was being heavily shopped around. What was not apparent to me was how weak the market was for the lefty. I figured Olsen would be sent out to a pitching starved Texas Rangers team who had a bounty of Catchers to deal.
I know this isn’t going to sit well with some folks but I am glad we were able to deal Willingham when we did considering the problems he has with his back. Willingham seriously declined last season after returning from a back injury that sidelined him for most of the first half of the year.
Considering how savvy Larry Beinfest has been in the past, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt here and take this in two ways. Both Olsen and Willingham were due a hefty raise and were the most expendable and the market for Olsen was so weak that he needed to be packaged with an affordable, quality bat.
So who are these guys we got from the Nationals? Read more after the jump…
Braves in the Olsen Mix?
Investigating several different avenues to improve their rotation, the Atlanta Braves, in addition to talking trade with San Diego for Jake Peavy, also have approached the Florida Marlins about left-hander Scott Olsen (8-11, 4.20 ERA in 33 starts in 2008). Texas also is believed to have inquired about Olsen, who is eligible for arbitration this winter. (CBS Sports)
A Little Bit of Everything
As GM meetings continue, the Marlins continue to talk trades and see how they can position themselves to make a run at the playoffs next season. Here are some points you should be paying attention to today.
- The Marlins have spoken to the Texas Rangers about catcher Max Ramirez but are also content to stick with their current group of catchers if they can’t work out a trade. Ramirez, 24, is coveted for his bat. He has hit .312 over his minor-league career with 64 home runs. At Double A Frisco (Texas) last season, he hit .354 with 17 home runs in only 243 at bats.
- Don’t be surprised if the Marlins give Carl Pavano more than a passing glance after the New York Yankees severed ties with the oft-maligned right-hander and he added his name to the free-agent ranks. Pavano played under owner Jeffrey Loria in Montreal and Florida, keeps his home in West Palm Beach, and might be affordable. Pavano was a big-time flop with the Yankees, winning just nine games in four years while being paid $39.5 million.
- Jeff Conine’s agent said ”Mr. Marlin” is taking a job with the Marlins, either on the baseball or business side, or both.
- Some of the characteristics of the old stadium will be incorporated into the Marlins’ new ballpark. Specifically, the field dimensions. Like Dolphin Stadium, the Marlins’ retractable-roof facility on the Orange Bowl grounds in the Little Havana section of Miami will be pitcher-friendly. For the first time, the dimensions of the outfield have been revealed for the ballpark, which is tentatively scheduled to open in 2011. HOK Sport, the designer of the new park, has drawn up a field that will have a 340-foot fence down the left-field line. The left-field alley will be set at 384 feet.
Scott Olsen Next?
The Marlins are not done dealing. The Rangers and Indians are among the clubs that have inquired about lefty Scott Olsen. But the Rangers don’t appear willing to part with young catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Royal Palm Beach) in a straight-up deal for Olsen, who is being “actively shopped,” according to a source. (Sun-Sentinel)
LoDuca Files for Free Agency
Any pending free agents were able to file for free agency at the completion of the World Series. It looks like it didn’t take Paul LoDuca long to make that decision. As of today, Paul is officially a free agent and able to sign with any team.
A Marlin in 2004 and 2005, Lo Duca signed a Minor League contract with Florida on Aug. 8. After a week at Triple-A Albuquerque, he was added to the big league roster on Aug. 16.
Brought in to provide veteran leadership, Lo Duca was 10-for-34 (.294) for the Marlins after he batted .230 with the Nationals.
I’m really fine with this. LoDuca is a quality at bat. Probably one of the few guys on the roster you could actually count on putting the ball in play if need be. A rare strikeout, Paulie will catch on somewhere as a backup.
This allows John Baker the chance to grab the starting job in Spring Training. It also leaves open the possibility of the Marlins exploring a trade option for a catcher. The Texas Rangers come into mind and I’m pretty sure they would have interest in Scott Olsen.
We will miss you Paulie, good luck with the rest of your career.
Team Report
We all know the Marlins head into the long off season with a record number of arbitration eligible players set to make more money. While there are 15 arby players, not all of them will return with the Fish next year. With a little help from Yahoo Sports, I will break down our off season outlook…
Free Agents: OF Luis Gonzalez, C Paul LoDuca, LHP Arthur Rhodes, LHP Mark Hendrickson.
The only one from this group that I expect to return is Arthur Rhodes. Rhodes is still effective even as he gets older. Problem is he can’t give you more than a few batters a game. Rhodes was a huge asset down the stretch last year when Renyel Pinto started struggling. A one year offer seems fair for Rhodes who deserves a Kevin Gregg 2008 type salary, considering he was much more effective than Gregg.
Arbitration-eligible: 2B Dan Uggla, RHP Kevin Gregg, LHP Scott Olsen, RHP Ricky Nolasco, 1B Mike Jacobs, LF Josh Willingham, 3B Jorge Cantu, RF Jeremy Hermida, CF Cody Ross, INF Alfredo Amezaga, RHP Josh Johnson, C Matt Treanor, RHP Joe Nelson, RHP Logan Kensing, 3B Dallas McPherson.
We already know the story on most of these guys. I do expect the majority of these guys to be back and battling in Spring Training for starting jobs. Kevin Gregg, Mike Jacobs and Scott Olsen are 80-90% gone and guys like Dan Uggla would be traded only if the Marlins are blown away by an offer. That being said Hermida should get another shot in Spring Training to prove he is worth sticking around. Cantu should be back as well. I also expect McPherson to get a legitimate shot out of Spring Training for third base.
Fire Up That Hot Stove Baby!
Out of any writer in the Miami Herald, Barry Jackson seems to get the most juicy information on a weekly basis. Looking past the fact that Antoine Walker spent $6500 bucks on champagne and Patron at club BED in Miami, Barry brings us some good info this morning regarding potential trades going down for the Marlins.
First off it looks like the Marlins are looking to increase payroll into the $30-35 million range, which would be a drastic increase in Marlins terms from the $22 million dollar payroll in 2008. One of the people I’ve been hoping that the Marlins would put on the block was almost dealt last week in a deal with the Royals…
The Marlins, who had a $22 million payroll in 2008, wanted to deal Jacobs to Kansas City, but the deal died last week because of a medical issue involving the minor-league pitcher that Florida would have received. The Marlins also spoke to Toronto and San Francisco about Jacobs.
If the Marlins move Jake, which I hope they do, they could slide Gaby Sanchez into that role, who we got a sneak peak of at the end of the 2008 season. Jorge Cantu is also a viable candidate to slide over from third base, allowing Dallas McPherson a legitimate shot to make the team out of camp.
It looks like most GM’s value Jacobs and Olsen the most, as the Marlins have been discussing deals for Olsen as well making room for Andrew Miller to grab a rotation spot. Olsen is a great sell high candidate after his bounce back season.
Check the rest of the article over at the Herald.
Florida Trade Chips Are Mediocre At Best
One day, somewhere I would love to meet these “veteran scouts” who supply information to there GM’s to help make proper decisions when dealing with other teams players for trades. Mike Berardino wrote an interesting blog post two days ago that caught my eye. Let’s analyze this shall we…
“Jeremy Hermida does nothing for me. No passion for the game. Once Fredi took him out of the lineup down the stretch, his lower lip was dragging. I saw him take BP late in the year and he looked like he was getting ready for an A-ball game. I have my doubts about him. No interest here.”
I think this is pretty obvious as Hermida has done nothing for the Marlins fans that were once clamoring for him to get the early call up back in the day. I’m not one to drop phrases like “lack of passion” or “he is not hungry enough” but Hermida just looks like he would rather be somewhere else than on a baseball field. His attention span in right field is that of a 5 year old at school. I’m wondering if the Marlins brass has soured on him as well or if they are willing to give him one more shot.
“Kevin Gregg has those knee problems (patellar tendinitis) and you have to worry about that. He really bangs and twists his front leg when he lands, and that’s where the problem is. He’s not a closer. Not for me. Maybe you stick him back in the seventh inning like he used to be for the Angels, but the arbitration number ($4 million or more) is too high for that role.”
I think it’s a forgone conclusion that Gregg is gone sooner than later. With teams always looking for quality bullpen help, he should fine a landing spot soon. Considering Gregg was hiding and injury down the stretch, blowing games left and right, and until Hanley signed his extension was the most expensive player on the team. Someone like the Mets will overpay. No thanks.
More after the jump.
The Marlins Rookie Hazing
The Marlins had there rookies dress up in costumes and ride the 7 Train during the series at Shea this weekend. Fish Bytes has more pictures up on the blog as well as a breakdown of who is who.
Seven in a Row, Say it Ain’t So?
So the Marlins appear to be putting there yearly run together towards the post season. Once again it appears it may be too little too late as the Phillies are also making there yearly September push. It’s a shame it’s taken so long since the All Star Break to get our pitching, defense and hitting running on all cylinders.
In case you haven’t noticed the Marlins have won 7 in a row and are looking to sweep the reeling Astros tonight. They are 5.5 back in the East and 5.0 back in the Wild Card. While I will never say die until there is a “E” next to the Marlins name in the standings.
The good news is we are setting ourselves up nicely for the next few years with a pitching rotation that looks stout with JJ, Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez and Chris Volstad. Notice I left off Scott Olsen? While his attitude has changed, I really hope we can find a taker for him and fill a couple of holes.
The Marlins crushed the Astros last night 14-2 behind a strong effort from Nolasco. Cameron Maybin made his Marlins debut and went 1-2 at the plate and ran down some nice fly balls in center.
The future is bright.
