The Miami Marlins

I still like this logo better 

For a long time this off season I really thought the Marlins were up to something big. They were extremely reluctant and still are in trading Giancarlo Stanton and they made some notable additions to their team. They signed powerful catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a deal. They also acquired Brian Bogusevic, Garret Jones, and Rafael Furcal.

Almost all of the additions the Marlins made this off season were to their lineup. They switched out Polanco for Furcal, Morrison for Jones, and Pierre for Bogusevic, but some younger faces are likely to make the starting lineup. Here is how the lineup for the Marlins might look like in 2014.

1. S. Rafael Furcal              SS 85 OPS+ in 2012
2. L. Derek Dietrich            2B 85 OPS+
3. R. Giancarlo Stanton       RF 131 OPS+
4. L. Christian Yelich          CF 112 OPS+
5. S. Jarrod Saltalamacchia C 118 OPS+
6. L. Garrett Jones              1B 99 OPS+
7. R. Casey McGehee         3B 77 OPS+ in 2012
8. L. Brian Bogusevic           LF 112 OPS+

Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez

The pitching rotation for the Marlins is also up in the air, but anchored by one very special talent, Jose Fernandez. This guy puts endless amounts of work into improving his body and becoming better at everything he does. He came up and made his debut for the very first time in 2013 and finished 3rd in Cy Young voting. His ERA was the second lowest for a starting pitching, only one better was Clayton Kershaw. Here his how the rotation for the Marlins may look in 2014.

1. R. Jose Fernandez        176 ERA+
2. R. Henderson Alvarez  108 ERA+
3. R. Jacob Turner           103 ERA+
4. R. Nathan Eovaldi        114 ERA+
5. L. Brian Flynn                46 ERA+

In the bullpen for the Marlins is closer Steve Cishek along with some other significant names. The pair of lefties, Brad Hand and Mike Dunn can be used to mix and match in late innings. The one time great pitcher Carlos Marmol will be a Marlin for the 2014 season along with several other young players who hope to make the team.

We're Leaving. Cano Signs With The Mariners. Granderson Signs With The Mets. And More

Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano has signed a 10 year $240 Million deal with the Seattle Mariners. In the wake of the Yankees signing Jacoby Ellsbury they allowed Robinson Cano to leave. Depending on what other bats the Yankees add, the departure of Robinson Cano may not be so upsetting. With the addition of Brian McCann, Ellsbury, Kelly Johnons, and possibly another player the Yankees
will improve their production at several positions and lose production at only second base. The Yankees may explore trades for Howie Kendrick, Brandon Phillips, or other second baseman, or take a more conventional route and sign free agents such as Omar Infante or Stephan Drew. With the departure of Robinson Cano I would personally bat Ellsbury third and have Gardner lead off with a right handed bat with some speed behind him.

As for the Seattle Mariners, Cano is not the end of their off season acquisitions. With Robinson Cano being the lone star in their lineup the Mariners are looking to add another bat. That bat is speculated to be Choo, Napoli, Carlos Beltran, or Nelson Cruz. I speculate they could trade for Matt Kemp for a few prospects, but the Mariners are serious in their pursuit of starting pitcher David Price. It has been said that the Mariners are willing to make a package featuring pitching prospect Taijuan Walker and second baseman Nick Franklin. A pitching rotation with Felix Hernandez, David Price, and Hisashi Iwakuma may bring back memories of the Mariners from over a decade away. A trade including Mike Zunino and Dustin Ackley may be able to land Matt Kemp or another impact bat. Signing another free agent will especially put the Mariners in competition for 2014.

Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson has apparently reached agreement the New York Mets worth $60 Million over 4 years. Granderson will bring much needed power to the Mets lineup and provide protection for David Wright. Already in an outfield with Juan Lagares, Eric Young Jr, and Chris B. Young, Granderson will probably play a corner outfield position. In three full seasons with the Yankees Granderson hit 108 home runs, but in the three full seasons in Detroit he played prior to coming to the Yankees, he hit 75 home runs. Although hitting coach Kevin Long changed his swing Yankee Stadium dramatically changed his stats for the better. Playing in Citi Field Granderson's days of 40 home run seasons are gone.

After being non tendered by the Blue Jays JP Arencibia has found a new home in Texas. The Rangers were looking for a catcher and instead of going after McCann, Pierzynski, or Saltalamacchia, the Rangers to the cheaper alternative by giving Arencibia to a 1 year $2 Million deal.

The Astros continued their quest to improve for the 2014 season by signing starting pitcher Scott Feldman to a 3 year $30 Million deal. After a successful season between the Cubs and the Orioles posting a 3.86 ERA in 186 innings pitched. After trading Jordan Lyles in a deal for Dexter Fowler, Feldman fills a hole in the Astros rotation.

The Marlins continue their under the radar moves by signing shortstop but likely second baseman Rafael Furcal. He will 36 in 2014 and has a career .284 career batting average and a .267 batting average from 2010-2012. Furcal missed all of 2013, but is expected to rebound in 2014.

Ellsbury, Morneau, Saltalamacchia Sign. Fowler, Gentry, Lindblom, Bell, Smith Gregerson Traded

Jacoby Ellsbury in his new uniform

The biggest news of yesterday's busy day was the signing of Jacoby Ellsbury. The New York Yankees signed the All Star Jacoby Ellsbury to a colossal 7 year $148 Million deal. Ellsbury will join an outfield with Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki probably making the best defensive outfield in the MLB. Ellsbury has had some fluctuation in his stats from year to year, but he has been someone consistent. He has put up a .297/.350/.439 slashline for his career, and has one dominating season under his belt. Ellsbury has led the league in stolen bases 3 seasons and has a 162 game average of 55 stolen bases. With an average annual war of 3.9 and assigning $5 Million to each win above replacement Ellsbury seems to be worth the deal. Johnny Damon is a similar player to make the transition from the Red Sox to the Yankkes via free agency, and he saw some success. Damon's average home run totals increased from 14 to 19.25 per season. That is a 37.5% increase. If the same can be said for Ellsbury, who has an average home run total of 15 home runs per season, you can expect him to hit about 20 home runs a year in Yankee Stadium. Combined with his speed and defense, Ellsbury will be an impact player for the Yankees, although his signing most likely takes them out of competition for Cano.

Justin Morneau

In the wake of Todd Helton's retirement the Rockies signed slugging first baseman Justin Morneau to a 2 year $13 Million deal. Morneau was traded to the Pirates mid season and was a big help for getting them to the post season. He hit 17 home runs last year playing most of his games in the spacious Target Field, and has a career average of 22 home runs per season.   Morneau is still relativley young at 32, but has battled some injuries the past few seasons, only playing 150 games total between 2010 and 2011. The Canadian born Morneau will slot in very nicely in the Rockies lineup which is projected to be Gonzalez, Tulowitzki, Morneau, Cuddyer, for a 3-6. The home run numbers are expected to rise for Morneau playing in Coors field.

It was reported that the Rays acquired Ryan Hannigan in a trade yesterday, but that turned out to be a 3 team with Heath Bell also headed to the Rays. Hannigan had a down year in 2012 with his batting average not cracking .200. Heath Bell will play for his 4th team in 4 years after what could be called a bounce back season. His ERA dropped from 5.09 to 4.11 after going from the Marlins to the Diamondbacks. With the signing of Juan Oviedo and the trade to acquire Heath Bell, the chances of Fernando Rodney returning to the Rays are bleak.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia

The Miami Marlins signed free agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a 3 year $21 Million deal. Salty has been pretty productive for ta catcher during his time playing for the Red Sox. In 3 full seasons in Boston the backstop put together an OPS+ of 104 over those 3 seasons. His slashline of .244/.306/.437 slashline during his time in Boston is significant given his defensive capabilities. With this signing I think the Marlins are up to something especially with their reluctance to trade Giancarlo Stanton. Watch out for the Marlins in the trade market and the free agent market as they may be flying under the radar.

After trading Jemile Weeks for Jim Johnson the Athletics made another move by trading for outfielder Craig Gentry and right handed reliever Josh Lindbolm. With the departure of Chris B. Young the Athletics were in search for an outfielder and they went to Gentry who's game revolves and speed and batitng average. His career .280 batting average in two full seasons proves Gentry's capabilities. Lindbolm's ERA has steadily been climbing but the ballpark he has been playing in has steadily been getting smaller. Going from Dodger Stadium to Citizens Bank Park to Rangers Ballpark his ERA went from 2.73 in 2011 to 5.46 in 2013. Lindbolm's ERA will resort back to around 3.00 as he moves to the spacious Oakland Coliseum.

Luke Gregerson

The Athletics further added to their bullpen after getting both Lindbolm and Johnson by trading outfielder Seth Smith for right hander Luke Gregerson of the San Diego Padres.  Smith hovers around a .265 batting avage with an on base percentage .100 points higher. He gets on base, and hits for average power with an average of 14 home runs per season. Gregerson has been an extremely effective and healthy reliever in San Diego the first 5 years of his career by pitching 347 innings and holding a 2.88 ERA in his career and a 2.60 ERA in the past 3 seasons. The Athletics are seriously building an effective bullpen, possibly soon to be the best in baseball.

The Houston Astros made their first splash of the off season by trading for center fielder Dexter Fowler from the Rockies in exchange for pitcher Jordan Lyl

Dexter Fowler

es and outfielder Brandon Barnes. In his first 5 full seasons Fowler has a 103 OPS+ with an on base percentage of .367 staying consistent by year. He swipes an average of 17 stolen bases and hits an average of 7 home runs, which is pretty good for a lead off hitter. Fowler will set the table well for the Astros with Jose Altuve following him.  Lyles hasn't found much success with his consistent ERA over 5 in his first 3 seasons, which is mot expected to go down in Colorado where ERAs tend to inflate. Brandon Barnes will be 28 in 2014 and has also not found much success in his first full season. He hit 8 home runs with a .289 on base percentageand a 50% stolen base percentage. This trade was probably done to free up salary so I expect the Rockies to make another move either for a starting pitcher or an outfielder.

In a Land Far Far Away...

Seattle and Miami are geographically the two teams furthest apart from one another and their 2013 off seasons are far apart as well. The Miami Marlins traded almost all of their team while the Seattle Mariners are making a push to make the playoffs.

Beware the Giancarlo. He's Better than Mike

The Marlins were the favorite for the National League West in the beginning of 2012, but that idea quickly dissipated as they began trading parts of their team. As the season went on, more and more players were being traded and then in the off season the Marlins made the huge trade with the Blue Jays which upset people in the MLB front office and many team owners. It's not the first time the Marlins have done this, and it will definitely effect the decisions of the free agents in future years.

1. L. Pierre CF           95 OPS+
2. R. Polanco 3B        71 OPS+
3. R. Stanton RF        158 OPS+
4. L. Morrison 1B      91 OPS+
5. R. Mathis C           71 OPS+
6. L. Coghlan LF       81 OPS+ in 2011
7. R. Hechavarria SS 74 OPS+
8. L. Dobbs 2B         89 OPS+

The Marlins' pitching rotation was regarded as one of the better ones in baseball, but now it is not even average. I don't know who they may choose to be the 5th starter, but here is how it looks as of now:

1. R. Henderson Alverez 4.85 ERA
2. R. Rickey Nolasco 4.48 ERA
3. R. Nathan Eovaldi 4.30 ERA
4. R. Jacob Turner 4.42 ERA

In the bullpen is underrated reliever/closer Steve Cishek. He had an ERA around 2.60 for the past two seasons. He may be the next one to be traded. Also Ryan Webb, Jon Rauch, and Wade LeBlanc are in the pen for the Marlins.

I project 59 wins for the Marlins, possibly even fewer if they continue to trade parts of their team.

The Mariners made some beautiful additions to their team this off season, especially their lineup. The biggest acquisition was Michael Morse. He will play the outfield and most likely bat third in the upgraded Mariners lineup. The 3-4-5 combo for the Mariners all start with the letter 'M' comment what you think their nickname should be. Also the fences are coming in at Safeco Field. So all the players are happy to hear that.

1. R. Guttierez CF 107 OPS+
2. L. Ackley 2B     79 OPS+
3. R. Morse RF      112 OPS+
4. S. Morales DH   121 OPS+
5. R. Montero C     95 OPS+
6. L. Ibanez LF       104 OPS+
7. S. Smoak 1B      87 OPS+
8. R. Ryan SS         61 OPS+
9. R. Andino 3B      61 OPS+

The Royal Emblem

The top of the Mariner Monarch is now getting paid as if he were royalty. King Felix signed a huge contract extension, the greatest in value for any pitcher in fact. Felix Hernandez does deserve that money. He brings the fans into that ballpark and has already proved what he can do at such a young age. But there is more to the rotation, here they are:

1. R. Felix Hernandez 3.06 ERA
2. R. Hisashi Iwakuma 3.16 ERA
3. L. Joe Saunders 4.07 ERA
4. R. Blake Bleavan 4.43 ERA
5. R. Hector Noesi 5.82 ERA

Todd Wilhelmsen impressed everyone in 2012 as he took on the closer's role and pitched to a 2.50 ERA. The bullpen for the Mariners isn't too deep, but Charlie Furbush and an improved Oliver Perez are in the bullpen. If the Mariners begin to seem as if they might make the playoffs expect the bullpen to be the first thing they look to improve. Francisco Rodriguez would be a great fit for what the Mariners need right now.

I project 82 wins for the Mariners in 2013.

The Birds and the Fish?

The huge trade between the Blue Jays and the Marlins is complete. The Blue Jays will get Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Emilio Bonifacio, and John Buck. The Marlins will get Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Jeff Mathis, Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Nicolino, and Jake Marisnick. 4 Million Dollars will go to the Blue Jays.

This trade is obviously in favor of the Blue Jays. They get two speed demons, one who is a great hitter, one great pitcher and one good pitcher, and a decent catcher.  The Marlins are dropping their payroll and reconstructing their team.

The way I would construct the lineup for the Blue Jays in the following:

Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Colby Rasmus, Brett Larwrie, Adam Lind, John Buck, Rajai Davis.  

But the Pitching Rotation is even better. Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow, Ricky Romero are a sold four starters although Romero was just terrible this past season.

In other news, Today the Tigers signed right fielder Torii Hunter. He signed a 2 year $26 Mill contract with the Tigers. He will be playing with some of the best and probably play right field and bat 5th or 6th. The projected lineup is the following:

Edwin Jackson, Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Torii Hunter, Jhonny Peralta, Alex Avila, Andy Dirks, Omar Infante.

Not to shabby for these two American League Teams.  

Moving On Up

Some players will get the chance to move up in baseball. Their teams were in last place, but now they have the chance to reach the playoffs.

Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate were part of a big trade last night. The Dodgers will receive the 2 players stated in exchange for Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough. Hanley Ramirez is hitting .246/.322/.430 this season with 47 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Randy Choate has been sporting a 2.49 ERA over 25.1 innings pitched. The lineup for the Dodgers when everyone is healthy would look like the following: Gordon SS, Abreu LF, Kemp CF, Ethier RF, Ramirez 3B, Loney 1B, M. Ellis 2B, A. Ellis C


Wandy Rodriguez will join playoff contention with the Pirates. He was acquired by the Pirates in exchange for the following minor league players: Rudy Owens, Robbie Grossman, and Colton Cain. Rodriguez will join a rotation with James McDonald, AJ Burnett, Eric Bedard and Kevin Correia. Rodriguez has a 3.79 ERA in 21 games started this season. Over his past 5 seasons Rodriguez has a 3.45 ERA and the Pirates will take that. Their next mission is to find a bat to add to their lineup. 


Cole Hamels is moving on up in the bank as he signed a contract extension for 144 million dollars over 6 years. That is the second most expensive contract given to a pitcher ever. Only CC Sabathias contract is greater. 

A Long Way to Travel

Ichiro had a really far way to travel last night when he heard he was traded to New York. He had to make a very long trip to the other dugout. Ichiro was acquired by the Yankees in exchange for the two minor league pitchers DJ Mitchell and Danny Farquhar. Ichiro will bring an aspect that the Yankees haven't had this year; speed. The injury to Brett Gardner has left the bases basically motionless. Ichiro is batting just .261/.288/.352 this season, but his defense is a definite upgrade over Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones.

Detroit and Miami completed a trade yesterday as well. Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez are going to Detroit in exchange for Jacob Turner, Rob Brantly, and Brian Flynn. Infante will make a big difference for the Tigers, because their production from second base has been terrible this season. Infrante is hitting .287/.312/.442 this season. Sanchez will make the pitching rotation more stable after Verlander. Sanchez has a 3.94 ERA with 5 wins, but that is result of the Marlins offense.

A trade for Dempster was leaked yesterday before it was official. The rumors say that Dempster will go to Atlanta for young pitcher Randall Delgado. Dempster tweeted that he had not yet been traded, but it is very likely. Dempster will be huge addition to the Braves and keep them in competition with the Nationals.

Lee is Headed to Miami

Yesterday the news broke out that Carlos Lee will be traded to the Miami Marlins for two prospects. Previously Lee refused a trade to the Dodgers. The Marlins have been getting very little production from first base. Gaby Sanchez is their primary starter at first and has just a .202/.250/.306 slash line. For a first baseman let alone any player that is horrendous. Lee has a .285/.336/.411 slash line which is slightly better than league average. Lee can also play left and right field, so he can give some guys a day off.

El Caballo (Carlos Lee)

When Emilio Bonifacio returns from injury after the All Star Break the Marlins' lineup should look something like the following:

Emilio Bonifacio   CF
Jose Reyes           SS
Hanley Ramirez    3B
Gaincarlo Stanton RF
Carlos Lee           1B
Omar Infante        2B
Logan Morrison    LF
John Buck            C
Pitcher                  P

This Marlins team is very right hand dominant. The top of the lineup features speed while the heart of the lineup flashes power. Everyone is expecting big things from this team; it is just a matter of time until they break out in the National League East.

What A Performance By Kyle Lohse

What a performance indeed. Kyle Lohse surprised all baseball fans with a great start for the St. Louis Cardinals. It looked like Josh Johnson and The Miami Marlins would have an easy victory once word that Chris Carpenter wouldn't be the opening day starter for The Cardinals. Kyle Lohse pitched 7 and 1/3 innings giving up just 1 run on 2 hits and collecting 3 strikeouts.

Kyle Lohse pitching in The Marlins home opener

Perhaps the most interesting part of this game was the suspense of a possible no hitter from Kyle Lohse. Lohse kept the hit column at 0 for the Marlins through 6 innings when eventually Jose Reyes would get a hit off of the right hander. Another interesting part of the game was how Josh Johnson would perform coming back from an injury. Johnson didn't perform terribly, but he performed at league average: 3 runs over 6 innings with 10 hits and 2 walks. The elevated WHIP is what eliminated Johnson from pitching into further innings, because he had to use more pitches.

Another important part about this game was how The Cardinals performed without Albert Pujols. The combination of Beltran, Holliday, Berkman and Freese made up for the absence of Pujols. These four players flow nicely in the lineup. Beltran got two base hits and scored one runs, Holliday went 0-5, Berkamn had 1 hit, 1RBI and was also intentionally walked 2 times, and Freese came through with 3 hits and 2 RBI's. Freese is the dark horse in The Cardinals' line up.

The Cardinals will play the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday and The Marlins play The Reds in Cincinnati today.

Marlins Ballpark didn't see much excitement from The Marlins on Wednesday night.