Matt Treanor can expect to see more time behind the dish for the rest of the season. And all the pitchers rejoice -- that is just speculation on my part.
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Olivo, who is making $2 million, is the third highest player on the team. Most likely, the veteran does not fit into the Marlins' plans for next season. Treanor, meanwhile, is expected back in '08.
As one would expect, Olivo didn't take the news very well.
"I'm fine. Leave me alone," he snapped when asked about his health.
Olivo wasn't benched because of the left groin strain that forced him out of four games in the past week.
Desperate for a win, Gonzalez said he wants to use his best possible lineup, and that means starting backup catcher Matt Treanor, who has been hitting .314 in 11 games this month.
Olivo is hitting .289 in 12 games.
"If Olivo is upset, you want guys to get upset when they don't play, but it is what it is," Gonzalez said.
"If it were up to him, I'm sure he'd want to be in there but Matty's playing pretty good, too."
Treanor's main contribution to the team is that he does a good job of handling of the pitchers and he can actually catch. The fact that he is hitting pretty well is just gravy. A team can have a great pitcher but if the catcher stinks, he will nullify some of the pitcher's effectiveness.
One of the biggest mistakes made this season was that Willis wasn't coupled with Treanor from the start.
The team's offensive production hasn't been a problem for most of the season, but the starting staff, what's left of it, not going deeper into the games has been.
A good catcher is a part of the pitching staff first and a hitter second. And hopefully he does both very well.
It is about time they let Treanor start more games this season, if for no other reason than to help the pitchers get back on track. Besides, he is hitting and actually takes a walk from time to time.