How two-faced can the Florida Marlins organization be?
This offseason, the Marlins traded superstar Miguel Cabrera along with Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers for six prospects, but now they turn around and sign Hanley Ramirez to a six-year, $70 million deal.
I realize they are in constant rebuilding mode and maintain a payroll of just $22 million. However, if the team was going to keep Ramirez, you'd think they'd try to sign Cabrera and Willis to complement their future star.
Now I'm not going to completely question their methods. After all, they have won two World Series since coming into the league, while my beloved Cubs have won all of 0 in the past 100 years.
Still, Cabrera is a perennial All-Star and future MVP candidate if he is on a winning team. Declining to offer him a big time contract seems absurd to me, especially now that the team is making Hanley Ramirez the highest-paid player in franchise history (passing Gary Sheffield's six-year, $61 million deal.
Now, I understand that they got six good prospects, but they are unproven. Like I said, Cabrera is a perennial All-Star. If Dontrelle Willis were to return to his form from 2003 to 2006, he could be one of the best pitchers in the game.
Why am I re-evaluating this trade six months after it happened? After all, this trade made a lot of sense to me back in December when they made it. The trade fell in perfect step with the Marlins' normal operation: take some prospects, groom them to be stars, trade them away for prospects, start over.
If the Marlins had locked up Cabrera, Willis and Ramirez, they would have a solid nucleus of young stars to build around for many years.
Maybe I'm wrong though. Only time will tell. After all, if three of the six players the Marlins received from the Tigers turn into All-Stars, then they have gotten their money's worth. But if all of the players are busts, then this long-term deal for Ramirez and the trade of Cabrera and Willis will be questioned forever.
comments (6) write a comment »
write a new comment
2 months ago
Cant question anything they do. Plus, if the Marlins wanted to unload him because his salary was too much and they were losing money, they would get a boatload in return and nobody would blink an eye. I think they believed Cabrera wanted too much money (which he ended up getting from Detroit) and Willis would never be the same (which he has not been, albeit with injuries right now). The Marlins know what they are doing in some respects, and this looks like a steal. Hanley could have gotten double that in a year. Good job for the Marlins
from 2 months ago
I think that is what I was trying to get at. If they unloaded him and followed how they have in the past no one would have thought twice. My question is how do you justify giving this kind of money (11+ million a year) to a guy when you just let 2 big guys go. Thank you for the comments.
2 months ago
only time will tell. Willis has lost his mojo(check his numbers) and Cabrera was a "cancer" in their clubhouse.
2 months ago
agree with john. Cabrera got $153 mil, way out of the FLA budget. Plus his work ethic sucked. Willis has lost it and may not find it, so why not bring a cheaper, less expensive pitcher (andrew miller) and have him blossom.
2 months ago
Cabrera was a bad influence in the locker room and is eating his way out of the league.
Willis, even though I love him, is going to struggle. Best case scenario for him is that he ends up becoming a decent, end of the rotation starter.
The Marlins have Cameron Maybin in their farm system. If he grows into the expected player, he will be very similar to Hanley Ramirez. Andrew Miller is also a promising talent. The Marlins also got a player named Burke Badenhop. He has struggled like Miller, but he has some very electric stuff and could become a very good player as well.
The Marlins made the right move on the trade, and signing Hanley was necessary and awesome.
GO MARLINS :)
2 months ago
Hanley Ramirez at 6yrs/70mil is a bargain compared to Cabrera's deal. Hanley is the better overall player. Look at his stats - he is quite possibly the best all-around player in the NL right now. Signing Hanley was a gesture to the fans that the Marlins aren't just a farm system for big payroll teams.
The Marlins could never afford Cabrera's deal anyways - few teams could. Cabrera was gone in 2 years no matter what - why not get some good prospects in return? Don't get me wrong - Cabrera is a phenomenal hitter and even at his new salary he is worth it to the teams that can spend that kind of money. But I'll take Hanley over Cabrera - especially at a lower price.
Besides, nobody does trades better than the Marlins. Almost every deal they've made in the last few years, they've ended up on the winning side.
The Marlins need their own stadium to support a higher payroll. Now that a stadium is finally coming together, they will start spending some more money. But not Cabrera-level money. They will stick with what they do best - finding undervalued prospects.
write a new comment