This is just to give fair warning, I rarely do Hot Stove post early in the offseason.
The Marlins haven't seen their payroll hit $40 million since 2005, the days of Carlos Delgado and Al Leiter.
That could change in 2009.
According to an industry source, the Marlins are telling teams they should have no problem keeping just about all of their 16 remaining arbitration-eligible players. OwnerJeffrey Loria, the source said, has authorized a payroll of up to $40 million, depending on the recommendations of his baseball people.
As opposed to what was reported yesterday in the Miami Herald.
The Marlins have decided to raise their payroll to the $30-$35 million range....
For the Marlins, a $5-$10 million difference in the payroll could mean a lot, in terms of which players are kept and which ones get to find a new baseball home.
There is one agreement in the articles that Mike Jacobs is being shopped, which is completely understandable. Especially given that Gaby Sanchez may, and I repeat may, be ready to see what he can do in the bigs. If he is not, then possibly Cantu will move to first and McPherson will man third.
Of course being shopped, doesn't always mean a lot this time of year. Most all of the players are being shopped.
That said, I expect that Jacobs will be traded.
The hard part in following the offseason maneuvers is that Beinfest plays everything so close to the vest.
I guess what I am saying is that I won't report on every rumor, but if a rumor makes sense then, you betcha, I will. Other than that, I have better things to do with our time.