The State of the Marlins

March 25, 2010

When you look at the work that Larry Beinfest and Michael Hill have done there may be only one thing you can say; Wow!

 

It’s been about 7 seasons since the Marlins have won a World Series, about 4 years since they made the Hanley Ramirez acquisition, and it’s been like 20 minutes since I last raved about the Marlins. There is just so much to admire about the work that Larry and Michael put in every day, making under the radar acquisitions and fiddling with their roster until they are satisfied, and really having sucess in the front office, drafts, scouting, key Minor League Signings, and most of all, winning with the lowest payroll in Baseball.

There is nothing that makes me think that Hanley Ramirez wont maintain a .330 AVG throughout the next 5 seasons. There is nothing that makes me think that Josh Johnson wont win 15 games and average a 3.00 ERA for the next 4 seasons. I also have no reason to think that the Marlins can’t get back to the World Series very soon. There is a good chance we will see Mike Stanton by Memorial Day. We will probably see either Gaby Sanchez or Logan Morrison get the job and at the very least, play well. But the one thing that has really impressed me this spring; the Marlins Minor League Signings. I think the A’s will have late season success with Cedric Bowers. Enrique Gonzalez has pitched some good innings for the Tigers. But listen everybody, Scott Strickland, Jose Veras, Clay Hensley, and Mike Lamb could all be on the Marlins Opening Day Roster. You see the thing is, they could have signed three expensive relief pitchers to fill the void and they could have signed Hank Blalock or Darin Erstad to be the back up first baseman. But there is really nothing wrong with taking chances on certain players. Jorge Cantu for example was an accident. Did anyone really think that he would be one of the more productive hitters in the NL for the past two seasons after the Marlins signed him to a Minor League Deal? Does anyone expect Clay Hensley to be a productive? Well if you don’t you should.

 

Rumor has it that the Marlins are interested in Mike Lowell. I’m going to have to shrug my shoulders on this one due to the fact that the Fish don’t like to spend money and Mike Lowell really can’t move that well. How about Eric Chavez? Chavez has been healthy this spring and if he gets his release by the A’s, the Marlins can yet again take a gamble. With that said, I think LoMo and Gaby Sanchez will get one of the jobs now that Jorge Jimenez has been returned to the Red Sox.

 

What I also think is very attractive about the Marlins is they win with not much of a fan base and the lowest payroll in Baseball. Their 2010 payroll is about 36-37 million. So if they win 80-90 games this season with that payroll, doesn’t that make some over paid players look theives? Well let’s see. Just as an example, Aaron Rowand, Oliver Perez, and Carlos Silva combined will are owed that in 2010. So the point is, obviously it takes a good General Manager to decide how to spend his teams money and how to build the team. There are lot’s of ways to build a team. One of those ways is good drafting.

 

In essence, the Marlins team wasn’t put together by spending 8 or 9 figures in the free agent market. They have done a great job drafting and scouting. Drafting especially, is the key. Here are the homegrown Marlins

 

• Josh Johnson
• Mike Stanton
• Logan Morrison
• Matt Dominguez
• Chris Coghlan
• Chris Volstad

Those are just a few Marlins who came out of the draft. Even better,

Cody Ross was acquired for the old “player to be named later or cash” trade.

Jorge Cantu was a minor league signing.

Dan Uggla was a Rule 5 Draftee.

Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller were brought in in the famous Willis and Cabrera trade. Willis and Cabrera were also homegrown Marlins.

Hanley and Anibal Sanchez were acquired in the famous Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell trade. Josh Beckett is also homegrown.

Leo Nunez was acquired for Mike Jacobs. I don’t even need to explain the Mike Jacobs story but you all know it.

Brian Sanches was a Minor League Signing.

 

So we can all agree that the Marlins management really has a good idea of how to find players, spend money, and simply make the right choices and decisions. The Marlins are a unique team. They are young. Very Young. But don’t get the word young confused with inexpierenced. The Marlins are moving in to their new ballpark soon. Thats something for the Marlins to look forward to. They have the second best player in Baseball and one of the NL’s best pitchers locked up. And the Marlins simply just have what it takes to win. Simple as that.

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Written by mlblogsdenardspanfan Posted in Dailies