6
2012
The Marlins Got Better, But They Took On Plenty Of Risk
An article by 
It is almost a given the Miami Marlins will finish ahead of the Mets this season, and that was even before the acquisition of Carlos Zambrano. If Zambrano is in shape, physically, mentally and emotionally, he’ll make the Marlins better. But, I’m not ready to put a Dream Team label on the Marlins. We’ve seen how well that works before.
However, the Marlins have made significant upgrades and you can guess the level of enthusiasm. Even so, there’s room for caution. Here’s why:
- A significant shoulder injury limited Josh Johnson to nine starts last season, and he’s clearly their most pronounced concern. Without Johnson, most everything else could be a moot point.
- Mark Buehrle is coming off his 11th straight season of at least 200 innings. That’s a lot of wear and tear, and one must assume his old team, the Chicago White Sox, know or suspect something.
- Zambrano has proven to be an out-of-control head case. He’s been the dangerous combination of an injured malcontent. Good for the Marlins that the Cubs are picking up nearly his entire salary. Zambrano is a gamble, but if things don’t pan out I wonder how he’ll respond, especially if Johnson is unavailable.
- Yeah, yeah, Jose Reyes can be an issue. Let’s not forget he went 0n the disabled list twice last season and all but shut down his running game during the second half. Reyes put up good numbers in his walk year, but we’ll see how motivated he is knowing he’s set for life. Reyes also has the burden of living living up to a $100-million contract. He’s always been sensitive, and at times moody and let’s his concentration wander. He’ll be under new found pressure. Let’s see how he handles it.
- One would have thought Hanley Ramirez wouldn’t have been an issue, that the Marlins would have ran the Reyes deal by him before writing the check. If Ramirez, who has always had some dog in him, is unhappy who can’t see him pulling a Santoni0 Holmes? It has to be a matter of time before he wants a new deal for himself.
- Ozzie Guillen is in a new home with high expectations, and moving with him is that big mouth of his. Guillen runs hot-and-cold on the likability meter. His act should play well in the beginning, but if the Marlins struggle, and he can’t connect with Ramirez for the greater good, it could get messy in that heat.
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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Nothin better than a Met “writer” being able to continue his blind hatred of Reyes no matter where Jose goes. Good job……NOT
Ghost — To come to your conclusion about John’s comments on Jose, you’re showing yourself to be sensitive or paranoid. What was said that indicates hate? Areas of concern noted were motivation, sensitivity, concentration, moods. Which of these do you disagree with, and why does the story state or imply hate?
You mean Omar fan Des! AKA Ghost of Omar! If Delc had written negatively about Wright Omar fan/Ghost would have no problemo. Nothing inaccurate at all with delcos comments.
Agree, I feel almost certain that they are going to have a major case of cancer in the clubhouse.
That leaves nobody for the Mets to finish ahead of
HELLO BASEMENT!!…..I missed basement Bertha anyway!
GARAGE SALE
Where: Miami
When: July 2014
Rain or Shine. Come early, come often. It’s all got to go go go!!!!
Turns out Reyes still can retire with the Mets.
Not if the Wilpons still own team and still can’t afford balls and bats, let alone a 20 million dollar player.
haha may come a little sooner than that if they don’t see the revenue they expect to see.
I agree, they will not be able to afford these players when their stadium is NOT full every game.
well, if there are no fans, then no pressure for Jose, right?
You must have mistaken Reyes for Wright. Number 5 is the head honcho now and its up to him not to punt the season.
Risk nothing-Mets
Risk something-Marlins
Now what team would you want to play for?
Steve Jobs was a risk taker-I rest my case.
you hit it, Lou
Taking risks is bad now all of a sudden the world of Sandy’s “You Gotta Be Sure” regime which his followers have all adapted akin to the Fred Flintstone Yabba…..Dabba….Doo robots
Agreed Do they think fans are going to show up and get them out of 400 million dollars worth od debt with a “safe” team. Not a chance. One thing is for sure. Bankruptcy will not be a risk-it will be a sure thing.
You really are a child with your “Sandy Regime” rants and your made up BS.
Taking risks sure has worked for the past 25 years huh? How are they even going to take risks when they don’t have a damn dollar to risk right now?
Oh yeah, sign Henry Blanco……..that would bring a title back………
Nobody is saying bringing Blanco back would bring us a title you IDIOT, you stupid IDIOT. He would help the young pitchers like he did LAST time he was here when we had one of the better pitching staffs in the league with virtually the same pitchers. And I’ve noticed all you do is piggy back and complain around here but never initiate any intelligent baseball discussion yourself. I’ve also noticed all you do is whine like a baby about other people doing exactly what you’re doing right now.
You can’t even think for yourself but no need to when you’ve thrown all your eggs in one basket for your Lord, the Grand Omnipotent Sandy and anybody who questions him or throws out other ideas is completely out of line.
And I guess you’re another one who somehow ignores the fact that the Mets have had PLENTY of chances to go to the WOrld Series in your “25 years” and simply have LOST BIG GAMES under several GMs. So stop with your excuse making.
This team is long past taking any risks. Most of those taken since the Wilpons took on sole ownership yielded very little.
Sad part is I don’t think they’ve reached rock bottom yet.
You couldn’t have been any more WRONG,
Another GM running the this show who was more baseball minded (ANY GM should be able to work with a low budget) could have made much better moves than Alderson. Your kind of defeatist and second guesser’s attitude is all you are capable of because srt and any are practically one and the same with all these little after-the-fact safe assumptions. The new GM fits it quite well with your after-the-fact type of thinking.
Winners don’t fold and cry in the face of adversity, they work and think HARDER. Me and a few others have laid out several different types of very realistic scenarios already that could have been taken. And it’s a shame too cuz we have plenty of people here who have studied the minors and know them quite well (including MMO’s #1 Second Guesser of all time – t agee) and i think jesshup is a big minor league guy..and pete. All these people could have come up with many alternative types of scenarios using minor leaguers in trades..but no.
They and people like you all have decided not to think for themselves and let Sandy do the thinking for you
They have taken a lot of risks and you can’t overlook the possibility that they may not get the huge increase int evenue that they expect to get. They’ll get something, for sure, but if they don’t get enough revenue from their new stadium then their doubled payroll will become too much of a burden for ownership to handle.
Even so, they got a hell of a team if a few things swing their way.
The first acquisition they made was Ozzie Guillen. He is a perfect fit in Miami and this “Hot Latin Pepper” (no I am not a racist) will get the most our of every player or they’ll answer to him. The Marlins will draw, new ballpark, new manager,a new superstar player. improved pitching. I think their winners.
agreed
The Marlins will draw…initially, but they always have. The Fish get huge attendance for Opening Day, so that the “fans” (used very loosely) can say they’ve been “with the team since Day 1″ if they succeed. But after the initial buzz about the new stadium dies down (could be June, 2012, could be 2015), they’ll be back to drawing 750 fans a game.
As I’ve said since they got the city of Miami to agree to the deal, the Miami Hurricanes baseball team will be loving their new stadium in a few years.
I’ll call the Marlins the “Dream Team” if it means they’re going .500 and not making the playoffs.
With all due respect, I don’t buy Zambrano, John. First of all, he has lost something considrable off the fastball. Control is an issue. And as for being in shape mentally, there are no mental pushups. Zambrano is certifiable. He is not just a bad egg. He is a rotten egg. He is just not capable of maintaining mental balance in a team environment any more. He may come in and be peaches and cream for a month or two. But the blowup is coming. they have their hands full with guys like Hanley and Zambrano on the team. These guys stand a good chance of punching each others light out.
jdon — bad egg? rotten egg? How about a scrambled egg? The guy is certifiable indeed. If these guys mix it up, my money is on Zambrano who is forty pounds and a couple of inches bigger. I don’t think they’ll ever go at it though. Zambrano would probably be suspended or sent packing. Maybe Sandy would be interested in a cheap pitcher. lol
Jose was great,to bad he left. I don’t think he really wanted to end his career with Mets, because Terry had a good plan for him to keep himself from going on the DL.Rest him time to time
More than likely he will end up on the DL, time will tell. His hamsting musceles have taken a pounding.
? Miami has a new stadium, new stars, will have lots of national media attention, lots of south Caribbean attention. Miami is now the new “Hot!” It!” team. Miami Marlins are the new “Miami U” of this generation. Every friggin Latino boy and young man between the ages of 7-27yrs. will be wearing the New Marlins baseball hat, jersey, or warmup jacket. The Latino population is booming, there is a huge market outside of selling game tickets that is being considered by people with a lot more smarts than us.
You dopes don’t think Miami ownership knows this? The “Bad Boy” Hanley Rameriz, The squeaky clean but overly sensitive superstar Jose Reyes, the clean cut home town made good boy, Gabby Sanchez, etc etc. the Crazy Zamprano, etc.. the fiery Manager… etc. on and on…
Things should at least be interesting, if not explosive, in South Beach. Let’s review, shall we?
A- Marlins are owned by Jeffery Loria, quick tempered and spontaneously unpredictable combined with:
B- Ozzie Guillen, famously quick tempered and good for at least a half dozen spicy comments per week to go along with:
C- Hanley Ramirez, he of the maturity problems who shows up late for team meetings, fails to hustle, and probably does not like the idea of playing 3B to give way to his good pal Jose Reyes, to which you add:
D- Carlos Zambrano, he of the leagues worst temper who likes to fight his own teammates on the field or in the dugout and calls his own team a AAA squad all the while pitching like a AA pitcher himself.
The way I see it, the Marlins are sitting on a powder keg down there in South Beach and it seems like the fuse gets shorter and shorter by the transaction. Sooner or later Loria and Guillen are going to get into it over something one or the other says in the media, who knows exactly how Ramirez will act/perform when moved to 3B, and Zambrano, well, he’s Zambrano so it’ll be interesting to see if Guillen is able to reign in his temper at all.
Didn’t I funk’in just say that?! At least give Me a feel or sumthin! What the f man!
Didn’t mean to overstep….didn’t see ur post before I put mine up. BTW, don’t appreciate the inferred language. I don’t do anyone like that and I expect a little more respect than that. Just sayin.
I see little point in “hating” Jose Reyes or any ex Met unless he was a malcontent or a player who gave less then his best. Before free agency, ballplayers were “slaves”. Well, now the story has changed and ballplayers have the upper hand but only because ownership is no longer run by a family owned company. Huge corporate dollars are involved, big television deals and the sale of merchandise is all part of the picture which means that the ridiculous salaries are indeed affordable. The players want theirs too!
As Met fans, we need to accept that until our financial situation improves that we are not going to be a playoff team. The Wilpon’s won’t sell unless they are forced too by MLB and that will happen only if they are further burdened by the Madoff scandal lawsuits. The team is being rebuilt as it should be by getting rid of bad contracts that are due to poor performance and injury history. Selling a cream puff car is easy…but selling a lemon is not.
It will take another year or so before we hopefully see the fruits of the trades and growth of our young minor league pitching stars. It is unrealistic to think that we will be competitive now in 2012. it is furthermore foolish to bash the efforts that had to be taken to redirect this organization. Yes, we would love to see the team sold and big money be available to sign free agents but unless the team is forced to be sold…..it ain’t gonna happen!
Nicely stated Alan.
Totally agree, well said.
Agree with most you have said, Allen, however let’s not lose sight of the fact that bad contracts and all, this team had been in the division race in 2010 and wild card in 2011 at the all-star break yet no help was sought to improve the team in 2010 and our best hitter and closer were dumped for salaries this past season.
I cannot recall any other team that was ever in contention that had ownership stab the players and fans in the back instead of supporting them.
And, as you point out, there is so much money being made by owners with television and merchandising that the outrageous salaries players make today is indeed affordable. Same with the Mets in the biggest market in the world. The Madoff scandal is only a part of what got the Wilpons into this mess — as stated before, they counted on less fans in a smaller ballpark spending more money each game. But they instead put themselves in a hole in their belief that the average Met fan would pay through his or her nose to see a game. It backfired on them badly and I am sure one reason is that many who sit in the upper deck resent being treated as second class citizens compared to the preferential treatment given to those who will pay more than $150 a ticket. Ever go looking for a restroom in the upper promenade?