The Marlins held an introductory press conference for Mark Buehrle today, and here are a few hot stove details from those proceedings and beyond…
- The Marlins have "poked around in the market" to see what interest there would be in Hanley Ramirez, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The team claimed Ramirez wouldn't be dealt in the wake of Jose Reyes' signing but even coming off a down year, Ramirez would be a big trade chip.
- Logan Morrison is "drawing more trade interest" than any other Miami player, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Still, it is "highly, highly unlikely" Morrison is sent elsewhere.
- Team president David Samson denied reports that the Marlins offered Albert Pujols a near-record contract, saying the club's offer was worth a bit more than $200MM, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported yesterday that Miami offered Pujols a ten-year, $275MM deal that could have ultimately been worth $300MM with incentives and because Florida has no state income tax.
- When asked if the club would pursue Prince Fielder, owner Jeffrey Loria replied "Oh, I don't know about that. We'll see," reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. In another tweet, Capozzi hears from a source that the Marlins never had interest in Fielder.
- Juan C. Rodriguez reports the Marlins also aren't interested in free agent starter Edwin Jackson (Twitter link).
- The Marlins are planning to have internal discussions about an extension for Mike Stanton, Capozzi reports (via Twitter). There is no time frame, however, as the club is waiting until "after [the] dust settles" on their busy offseason. Stanton is already under team control through 2016 and doesn't reach arbitration for two more years.
- MLB.com's Anthony DiComo details the incentive clauses and the year-by-year breakdown of Jose Reyes' six-year deal. Reyes will earn $10MM in each of the next two seasons, $16MM in 2014, and then $22MM in each of the final three guaranteed seasons. The Marlins have a $22MM team option on Reyes for 2018 that can be bought out for $4MM.
BLEACHER_CREATURD
Marlins are all of a sudden poor again?
MB923
“Team president David Samson denied reports that the Marlins offered Albert Pujols a near-record contract”
Lol sure you didn’t David. All you guys had to do was put in a NTC and he could have been yours for $275 million.
Anytime a team’s owner/GM/President etc. says something like this, we all know it’s a lie.
JohnS
Albert was not passing up a penny… no way he passed up 20 Million $$$$.
MB923
Yeah players never pass up a team that offers more money
Wait a second:
JohnS
some do… not Albert Pujols.
MB923
And you know this how?
Perhaps Pujols wanted to go to a team that will more likely compete next year and multiple years (ahem, Lebron? lol). The Angels without question are a better team than the Marlins and at least for next year they are in a 4 team division that has basically only 1 team to compete with. Simply put, Pujols is more likely to win a ring with the Angels than he is with the Marlins.
$275 million and $254 million is a big difference?
Your choice
$210 million- Great team
$254 million – Great team
$275 million – For now let’s say slightly above average team
JohnS
I don’t… and neither do you. But if it were about winning he would have never left the Cardinals. Won more playoff games since 1990 than any team but the Yankees. And been to more World Series than anybody including the Yankees.
Call it common sense. Marlins offer was just south of the Cardinals offer IMO.
MB923
I’m going by what every source has said, your’e only going based on what the owner who failed to get him said.
That’s true he never would have left the Cardinals if it was all about winning. But as I said, the Angels are a better team than the Marlins. And you can’t compare $254 to $275 million with $200 million to $254 million.
JohnS
Albert probably makes another 20 Million per year in endorsements…. It is all about the money to Albert. Not sure where the 200 million came in. Cardinal offer was closer to 220 Million.
MB923
I meant to put $210 but I did forget it was $220. I think the main difference was the Angels were the better team, And maybe the no trade clause in the Angels contract did it.
johnsilver
And is in one of the highest taxed states in the Union, where Florida is one of the lowest.
That 20m counting other areas not even counting state income is easily reduced in Florida.. Just shop around for items and services between the 2 states and see what is taxed in CA, vs what is not in FL..
Pujols had comfort areas beyond that 20m area he preferred to sign with Anaheim.
sherrilltradedooverexperience
Emperor Palpatine grows stronger with every angry, hatred filled keystroke you are making…
notsureifsrs
call it sour grapes*
JohnS
There probably are some sour grapes… does not change what facts.
sherrilltradedooverexperience
Your scorn for Albert Pujols has further increased your detachment to the reality that everyone else sees with clarity.
…
But don’t let that stop you for arguing about another quantum timeline because it is quite entertaining.
sherrilltradedooverexperience
Your scorn for Albert Pujols has further increased your detachment to the reality that everyone else sees with clarity.
…
But don’t let that stop you for arguing about another quantum timeline because it is quite entertaining.
KyleB
lol that’s true, but I think if the offer from the Marlins was what was reported earlier, Pujols would have taken it. I don’t see any real reason why Pujols would have chosen Anaheim over Miami otherwise (if the difference was nearly $30MM). I could be wrong, but that’s what I believe.
MB923
The Marlins offered $275 million. The Angels offered him $254 million.
Do you really think the Marlins are better than the Angels?
miamiroc
With Albert as their first baseman…yes!
MB923
Cliff Lee passed up about $30 million and his contract is about half of Pujols’, so the % difference of the contract between the Phillies and Yankees/Rangers is about double the % difference of the Pujols contract offers between the Marlins/Angels
bobbybaseball
Lee didn’t really pass up more money. The AAV of the Phils deal exceeds what the Yankees were offering, not to mention the increased cost of living in NY. He bet on himself. If Lee is good in year six, he will make as much or more than the $22M he would have been making under the Yankees proposal.
Phillies_Aces35
He didn’t pass up that much money though, he just took the contract with one less guaranteed year and a higher AAV.
Phillies_Aces35
He didn’t pass up that much money though, he just took the contract with one less guaranteed year and a higher AAV.
rsanchez1
There’s a lot of lies floating around this time of year. Remember when the Angels could only spend $20M tops this offseason? Pujols and Wilson probably put them over $40M for next season.
MB923
I don’t remember that to be honest. But that proves my point even more that teams lie lol.
Serdar Sirin
Agents also lie. You don’t think Dan Lozano wasn’t trying to make his client look less greedy by saying “Oh the Marlins offered him so much money, but he didn’t want to do it for the money”
MB923
Maybe I’m wrong but as far as I know, Lozano hasn’t said a word, and if that is the case then there was nothing he lied or didn’t lie about. And secondly, it’s Pujols’ decision on where to go
Maybe we will see, but I’m fairly certain David Samson is full of doodie.
Serdar Sirin
The point is a lot of rumors that get spread around during these meetings are mostly generated by agents to get some buzz around their clients. “Mystery team” offers are the oldest trick in the book
fishfan4life
Only offered a shade above 200 mil?
PR STUNT.
SheaGoodbye
The Marlins couldn’t possibly make it anymore obvious that they plan to trade Reyes (and probably Buehrle too) in a few years. 10MM salary the first two years AND a lack of a no trade clause?
Lol nice choice Jose.
PepePeppon
Some would say 22 million for a 30+ years old who isn’t a power hitter and has leg problems is a no trade clause.
rsanchez1
The man felt emotional when the Mutts didn’t even offer him a contract. People make bad decisions when they’re emotional.
MB923
The Mets did offer him a contract. I believe 6 year/$90 million.
miamiroc
Not according to Reyes.
rsanchez1
Do like the Rays did with Evan Longoria: lock Stanton up cheap right now. And don’t make the mistake the Cardinals did. Keep him locked up when it’s cheap instead of letting him reach free agency.
The structure of Reyes’ contract makes sense. Pay him less now while the revenue streams build themselves up then pay him more later. Or maybe they just plan to trade him later.
notsureifsrs
the rays signed longoria before he’d done anything at all. it’s way too late for that with stanton. it’s probably too late to even get a justin upton/jay bruce type deal
miamiroc
I don’t know about all that. He’s only played for one season.
notsureifsrs
a 250 game “season” in which he posted a .370 wOBA, .265 ISO, and 7.3 WAR
upton’s first 289 games yielded 5.2 WAR. bruce’s were much worse
Encarnacion's Parrot
Just to put it to bed, compare Matt Moore’s service time to Mike Stanton’s, sit back, think about it, and then…
miamiroc
Good point, but I would still expect that they could sign him to a similar contract based on his big league service time. He may get a bit more money but Stanton is a better player than either of those two guys. I would get it done.
MaineSox
“Stanton is a better player than either of those two guys.”
You’d have a hard time convincing me that Stanton is a better player than Justin Upton.
miamiroc
Good point, but I would still expect that they could sign him to a similar contract based on his big league service time. He may get a bit more money but Stanton is a better player than either of those two guys. I would get it done.
rsanchez1
It’s not way too late for Stanton. Maybe they’ll have to pay him more than Longoria, but the longer they wait, the more they’ll have to pay. They should lock him up with a multi-year deal now.
notsureifsrs
not too late for any extension? of course not. it’s just too late to get him for a bargain like upton or bruce, let alone longoria
dshires4
It’s not too late to get him at a Upton price, at all. In fact, you’ll probably get more years on the deal and maybe only need to spend an extra $10 million to do it.
notsureifsrs
there is literally no reason to believe that. he is the same age now that upton was when he signed and stanton has been much better in his first 2 seasons than upton was in his
B
The Cardinals did lock up Pujols while he was cheap, how else do you think he played 11 years in St Louis.
Lefty
I could see the Marlins trading Hanley Ramirez.
However, I cannont see them trading LoMo.
They could always pick up Aramis Ramirez for 3B and save money, could they not?
ctownboy
As I said a couple of days ago, if the Marlins are looking to boost Cuban attendance at their new stadium then a Hanley Ramirez, Logan Morrison and Gaby Sanchez trade to the Reds for Aroldis Chapman, Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and Chris Heisey makes sense.
With those three on the team, the Reds could trade Votto for the stud starting Pitcher they are lusting after. Gaby would play First Base, Hanley would be at Short Stop and Logan would be in Left Field.
The Marlins would have three young, cost controlled players of Cuban descent, two of which grew up in the Miami area and who went to the “U”.
Mac
I assume you must be a Reds fan. That is the only explanation for someone thinking that your trade proposal ‘makes sense.’
ctownboy
Really?
HanRam was in trouble with the Marlins last year for not playing hard.
Logan Morrison was in trouble for tweeting too much and was demoted to the Minors for it.
After signing Jose Reyes, HanRam doesn’t want to move from Short Stop.
It is said the reason why Jeffrey Loria was willing to pay Albert Pujols so much and not Prince Fielder is because of the increase in Latin fans Pujols would draw that Fielder wouldn’t. If that is the case then don’t you think having THREE players of Cuban descent, two of which grew up in the Miami area, would be a drawing card even if the team sucked?
Wouldn’t it also help that those three are young, inexpensive and cost controlled? On top of that, wouldn’t it help that those three are a starting pitcher (who is Left handed and can throw over 100 MPH), a First Baseman (who is four years younger than Gaby) and a Catcher who is 23?
Yes, dumping two players who the Front Office has had run-ins with in the past year while dumping nearly $50 million dollars in salary for three young, inexpensive, cost controlled players of Cuban descent (who will put MORE fans in the stands than HanRam, Sanchez or Morrison) is WAAAAYYYY too dumb of an idea to ever present on a baseball chat board….
Freddie Morales
trade hanley to mets for david wright.
heavyhitter
Olney’s credibility is shot; he’s just making up rumors to save face. If anyone but him had reported it, I would believe it. He’s frustrated that he wasn’t getting any scoops so he just made one up.
rsanchez1
Yeah, I was following both Olney and Rosenthal on Twitter. Rosenthal’s been on the money but Olney has been defending himself most of the time. Better luck next winter meetings, Olney.
Serdar Sirin
Exactly. Olney is the only one pushing the rumor. Rosenthal is always my go to guy for news.
bravesdude
Who couldn’t have seen this coming ? You sign a big contract for a guy who plays one of your best players position (SS) , and you still expect him to be happy about it and switch to another position ? I can understand wanting to draw in attendance with big names (Reyes) , but in doing so , you may just have costed yourself what was at one time the face of the franchise . Hanley will be gone before spring training . Attendance will still be below 10,000 a night a sellout by the end of the year when everyone has realized that they are not gonna make the playoffs . And they’ll end up having to trade a player or two in the middle of the year or next offseason .
snapcase8p
Jacob Turner/Ryan Raburn/mid-prospect for Hanley/Bonafacio. Make it happen Tigers!
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
The only problem with the Cubs signing Fielder is he would have no protection at all in front or behind him, Castro has little to no power, DeJesus is probably gonna lead off, Byrd has seen better days, Soriano hasn’t been good since he signed with the Cubs, Soto will hit 8th at best and if he’s lucky hit 12-15hrs with 50-65 rbi and 45 runs scored. If they sign Fielder which would be a mistake on his part they need more then just him to protect him. Pujols has Hunter (slowly declining) as well as the aging and declining Wells) Like I said before the Pujols signing isn’t as big as people make it seem. It will be a horrible deal in 5 yrs when he’s 40. I don’t think it’s as bad as both A-Rod deals but it’s bad. That’s why Fielder needs to go to the Rangers and Garza can be traded for Moreland and 2 prospects.
buckz
Garza to Texas makes sense to me as along as there is pitching involved with Moreland….but how about Garza, Zambrano and $$ to Fish for HanRam? Ozzie and Big Z are best pals and I’m sure the Fish would quickly spend the extra cash on Aram to plug in at third? I could see the cubs getting Prince after that and with Castro, Hanram and Prince our line up would look pretty tough?
Now Pitching..well it’ll stink. But what else is new?
Hoosierdaddy92
If the Marlins get Fielder, this would be a really wild trade idea.
James Shields, BJ Upton, and Sean Rodriguez to the Marlins for
Hanley Ramirez, Logan Morrison (DH), and Gaby Sanchez (1b)
Marlins land a rare ace for the next 3 seasons and an All-Star CF that can replace Hanley offensively. They can then shift Bonifacio to LF, where his arm isn’t as much of a defensive liability and his range is plus. Marlins also get rid of two guys (HanRam, LoMo) that have clashed with Mgmt. Reyes, Bonifacio, Upton, Fielder, Stanton is the best top 5 lineup in the NL and the Marlins get a true ace, far more durable than Johnson.
Tampa lands 2 proven power-hitting regulars. and an All-Star SS for the next 3 seasons. I know people argue Tampa would only want prospects for Shields and Upton, but Tampa is built to contend now. They already have the best farm system in the league as is. Jennings, HanRam, LoMo, Longoria, Sanchez, Zobrist is a spectacular top 6 to have in a lineup and the starting pitching is still by far the best in the AL East with Price, Hellickson, Moore, Niemann, Davis/Cobb/Archer
Hoosierdaddy92
If the Marlins get Fielder, this would be a really wild trade idea.
James Shields, BJ Upton, and Sean Rodriguez to the Marlins for
Hanley Ramirez, Logan Morrison (DH), and Gaby Sanchez (1b)
Marlins land a rare ace for the next 3 seasons and an All-Star CF that can replace Hanley offensively. They can then shift Bonifacio to LF, where his arm isn’t as much of a defensive liability and his range is plus. Marlins also get rid of two guys (HanRam, LoMo) that have clashed with Mgmt. Reyes, Bonifacio, Upton, Fielder, Stanton is the best top 5 lineup in the NL and the Marlins get a true ace, far more durable than Johnson.
Tampa lands 2 proven power-hitting regulars. and an All-Star SS for the next 3 seasons. I know people argue Tampa would only want prospects for Shields and Upton, but Tampa is built to contend now. They already have the best farm system in the league as is. Jennings, HanRam, LoMo, Longoria, Sanchez, Zobrist is a spectacular top 6 to have in a lineup and the starting pitching is still by far the best in the AL East with Price, Hellickson, Moore, Niemann, Davis/Cobb/Archer