Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post spoke to Marlins right fielder Jeremy Hermida yesterday. Hermida knows the Marlins will be active this winter, and he could be on the trading block again.
Hermida will turn 25 in January. With three-plus years of service time under his belt, he’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time. Instead of $400K, Hermida will earn perhaps $2-4MM in 2009. Trade rumors first surfaced this summer, when Hermida nearly became a Pirate in a three-team Manny Ramirez/Jason Bay deal.
2007 was a very promising year for Hermida – he hit .338/.403/.559 over the season’s final three months. An MVP-caliber 2008 seemed possible. Instead, Hermida struggled to a .245/.319/.405 line in a career-high 550 plate appearances. He’s been particularly bad since August. Defensively, he’s been slightly above average.
Trading Hermida now will be selling low, but the Marlins could save a few million. Still, three years of Hermida won’t come cheap. Tossing out a few possible suitors: the Mariners, Nationals, Mets, and Braves.
