Sunday, May 11, 2008

Hanley Ramirez Thoughts.....


So many places to go with the news that the Marlins are about to announce a 6-year, 70 million dollar extension for Hanley Ramirez.

-Shocked, Surprised, Stunned, Amazed, Flabbergasted, Astonished, Dumbfounded, Incredulous. Are those enough adjectives to describe my reaction?

-The biggest reason for the shock is not the sharp 180 degree turn from pouring in no money. Or Jeffrey Loria's comments stating they would continue to not pump in money until the new stadium opens its doors. The main reason has to do with the stadium possibly hitting a snag. On Friday, Norman Braman's lawsuit, minus one facet, got the green light to be decided in court in July. And speaking with multiple people who are close to both parties, ignore the false confidence the Marlins may be showing: They are SCARED of Norman Braman. And so is Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. Just reporting what I've been told.

-Obviously, the Hanley deal makes sense on a million different levels. But it doesn't validate the Miguel Cabrera deal at all. In fact, it exacerbates the bad taste. The Marlins DIDN'T have to make a choice between Miggy and HanRam. They could have and should have retained Cabrera's rights until 2009. And let's just say, considering the Fish are operating without a finalized stadium deal, they had a hunch this would go through before the season. Why not pay Miggy his 10 million price tag, sign Hanley to an extension, and replace Andrew Miller and Burke Badenhop's spots with say, Kyle Loshe(who signed a 1 yr 4 mil deal) and Chris Volstad? I know what you're saying, the Marlins got a once in a lifetime package from Detroit. You don't think they could have reached a similar deal following another 320-35-120 season from Cabrera?
And stop with all the justifications towards getting rid of Miggy. No team in its right mind would ever want to get rid of a 24-year old superstar who hasn't even reached his prime. I don't care how el gordo he is, that didn't stop Babe Ruth. I don't care if he's not a prototypical third baseman, move him to the first sack. And bad clubhouse guy? Bring in veterans to neutralize that. Just like the Red Sox did with Big Papi keeping Manny under wraps. Besides, the clubhouse scenario is so overstated, Dontrelle did more irreparable harm than Migy.

-That said, the Marlins sent this message to their fan base: We're in it to win it in 2008. Do I think they can sustain a 23-14 pace playing the creampuff part of their schedule? No. But as long as they're in the NL East mix, go get that ideal leadoff hitter and center fielder. Go acquire another veteran arm.

-And sign at least a couple other players up for arbitration. It's amazing I'm suggesting this, but if Scott Olsen doesn't encounter any brushes with the law, ink him with a 3 or 4 year extension. Same for a dependable bat like Josh Willingham. I'm not expected the Marlins to become the Yankees overnight, but they do need to spend wisely. Key word being SPEND.

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