Welcome to Miami (Bienvenido a Miami)

Well Blog followers, by now you are thinking, is this blog only about the Miami Marlins. It's starting to look that way, but the Marlins are making the biggest "splash" this offseason. But as stated in the title, and elaborately stated by Mr. Will Smith, "Welcome To Miami." Today, approximately 10 minutes ago at 12:15 PM, the Miami Marlins formally announced their signing of Jose Reyes. "The contract is a 6-year, $106MM deal today.  The deal does not include a no-trade clause.  Reyes will receive $102MM over the first six years of his contract, and has a $4MM buyout on a seventh year option worth $22MM." Jeffrey Loria says Jose Reyes will have cut his hair. "everybody has to follow the rules ." This is big for the Marlins because they now need to figure out many problems that can/will pan out during this offseason. The first problem's name is: Hanley Ramirez. The All-Star shortstop is not happy about the Marlins signing Reyes, simple because: it's his position. Ramirez is none too happy about the possibility of relocating to either center field or third base. Ramirez has even been reported saying that he would prefer being traded then moved to third. BUT, BUT, BUT, the Marlins stated today in the press conference that Hanley is now the starting third baseman. 

The second problem the Marlins face are finances. A new stadium, two very big signings worth approximately $133 million, and the other finances that are normally dealt with such as other contracts on the team. Apparently Jeffrey Loria's idol is George Steinbrenner, and Loria wants what Steinbrenner had. He wants championships, he wants money, and he wants to use that money on big names in baseball. But unfortunately, the Marlins are not the Yankees. The Marlins do not quite have the fan base to bring in the money that the Yankees have, but Loria is trying to change all of that with the new image of the "Miami Marlins." And if this doesn't work, the Marlins have a little trick up their sleeve. All of the new contracts and signings they have been offering do not have no-trade clauses. Meaning, if the Marlins are starting to go into the "red" they can trade away Jose Reyes and another team can pay his contract. Genius.

The last problem the Marlins face is Albert Pujols. The fact that the two teams that are leading the way to obtain Albert Pujols are the Marlins and the Cardinals just amazes me. But since both the Yankees and the Red Sox already have great first baseman, I guess the market is a little slim. Pujols has been receiving offers from both the Cardinals and the Marlins that are 10-years and over $200 million. I don't know about you, but having Albert Pujols in the NL East for 10 years really scares me. "The Machine" playing at least 18 games against the Phillies, that's a game changer. If the Marlins do obtain Pujols, their payroll will be enormous, bigger than it has been in years combined. If the Marlins do not obtain Pujols, they will still be in a position where they are lacking some offense. Jose Reyes is a leadoff hitter, not a 3 hole batter, nor a cleanup batter. Plus Reyes is only one person. Can one person make a difference? I think so. Can two players make a difference? Definitely. Good luck Marlins, I'm really excited to see you play in 2012.

Back to the Marlins: Part II

A bit of my own "creativity

There have been many rumors about the Miami Marlins in the past few weeks. It was November 11th when they became the Miami Marlins and things have been heating up in the recently nicknamed: "The City of the Future." So what have those crazy fish from the south been up to? Yesterday the Marlins officially signed closer Heath Bell to a 3-year $27 million contract with a fourth year vesting option wroth $9 million. The Marlins front office stated they wanted a dominant closer, a pitcher (so that Josh Johnson isn't their only hope), and new offensive power. Well, they can check one of those off! Bell has made the All Star team the past three years and had at least 42 saves each season since 2009. That kind of pitching dominance in the 9th inning will really help the Marlins win more games! As a Phillies fan, I don't want to see them win too many games, but finishing last is something that no team wants to do. Moving towards the pitching end of the spectrum, the Marlins are still "fishing" around for CJ Wilson, but NL East rival Washington Nationals are also pursuing the left-hander. Mark Buehrle has also been linked to the Marlins, but nothing has come from that. Last but not least: Jose Reyes. Apparently the market for Reyes is not as open as many would thought it would be. So far the Mets and the Marlins are the frontrunners for Reyes, but the Tigers and Brewers appear to be "iffy" in the market. The only thing that would really stop Reyes from not signing with the Mets is that they refuse to offer a 6th year. The Marlins on the other hand, are offering a 6th year, but initially offered less money. The Marlins are willing to bump it up a bit, but who knows? But it does appear that it will be very unlikely that Reyes leaves the NL East. I heard of rumors that Jose Reyes was seen in Philadelphia, but what are the chances the Phillies will sign Reyes? Highly unlikely. Would I love to see it? Yes. (Back to the Marlins: Part III soon to come, as soon as something happens)