Fish Bites: Miami Marlins Need To Make Decision On Stanton, And Quickly

As Miami's blockbuster deal with the Toronto Blue Jays became official, two Marlins outfielders exchanged roles. Giancarlo Stanton, usually the one to remain humble and quiet, was quick to express his opinion, while Logan Morrison, who in previous years was reprimanded by the front office for his use of social media, didn't share his view.

Stanton immediately tweeted that he was "pissed off" while when asked what his opinion of the trade was, Morrison simply said that "it isn't something that I had control of so I'm not going to comment or give my opinion."

It is no secret that after one night, Miami's payroll dropped from a franchise-high $100 million dollars to a Florida Marlins-like $30 million. Stanton isn't happy, however because he is under team control, there is not much he can do. But he won't be under team control forever. And that's why the Marlins need to make a quick decision.

After dealing shortstop/third baseman Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers in July, the Marlins decided that they would be building their team around Stanton, a solid right fielder that plays average to above average defense and at his prime can be good for 35-40 home runs a year. However, after the 12 player trade, Miami might consider dealing him.

From a fan perspective, if the Marlins traded Stanton, they would lose the remaining fans that they have after sending half of their team to Toronto last week. Ticket sales would decrease rapidly, and the smallest stadium, capacity wise, in baseball would still be at the very least half empty.

From a baseball perspective, though, it would be hard to blame Miami if they wanted to deal the young slugger. Stanton, though plagued by minor injuries at different times, has shown that he can be consistent and produce against quality big league pitching (his first major league hit did come off of Roy Halladay, after all).

In the eyes of the organization, there is no reason to keep an unhappy player. And after the deal with the Blue Jays, Stanton is far from happy. If the Marlins wanted to trade Stanton, now would be the best time to do it. They would get more prospects in return, and in a couple of years, could see Stanton-like numbers from one or several of them.

Ultimately, it's the organization's decision. But if the thought of trading Stanton ever crossed their mind, they should do it now, while they can get maximum value in return.

-Commissioner Bud Selig is watching the Marlins closely after their trade with Toronto that he approved last week, however several teams would give their very best to acquire Giancarlo Stanton. The Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles, and Cubs are among the teams that have called the Marlins about Stanton.

-Marlins owner Jeffery Loria has continued to stay quiet since the salary dump trade with the Blue Jays last week. Loria's baseball people, such as President David Samson and President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest have publicly spoken about the trade, though Loria has remained quiet. The most Loria said was "We finished in last place, you figure it out," at the owners meetings in Chicago.

-Owner Jeffery Loria is now known for telling several lies. In the eyes of many, Loria has replaced former Dolphins coach Nick Saban as South Florida's most public liar. Loria's most recent lie was telling the public last year that "five years from now, nobody will be against building this stadium."

-For the first time since the trade became official, pitcher Mark Buehrle shared his opinion with the media, saying that he was lied and that the Marlins had assured him that he wouldn't be traded. "I'm upset with how things turned out in Miami," Buehrle said. "Just like the fans in South Florida, I was lied to on multiple occasions. But I'm putting it behind me and looking forward to moving on with my career."

-Days after trading several key parts of the 2012 squad to Toronto, the Marlins signed outfielder Juan Pierre to a one-year, $1.6 million deal. In 130 games with the Phillies last season, Pierre hit .307 and stole 37 bases.

-After reading an article in which Giancarlo Stanton was quoted saying that he doesn't understand the "winning way" of the Miami organization, President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest couldn't assure fans that Stanton won't be the next to go. "I know this is an emotional time," Beinfest said. "I know he had relationships with these guys. I don't know that I have an appreciation for it. These guys live together, dress together, play together under the spotlight every night and they build a different kind of bond. I'm sure it's been tough for him. Our feeling was to maybe let the dust settle a little bit, maybe let some of the emotion go away and we can get to Giancarlo and talk about getting to spring training with some of his new teammates. I hear it. I hear the frustration. It's not unexpected."

-Miami recently added outfielder Marcell Ozuna, catcher Kyle Skipworth, and outfielder Kyle Jensen to the 40-man roster. The Marlins now have 37 players on their 40-man roster.

-In a popularity poll, Fidel Castro was voted the most unpopular person in the eyes of South Floridians. However, owner Jeffery Loria was a close second. Only six percent of the respondents had a favorable opinion of Loria.

-According to several sources, Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes weren't the only Marlins to be told that they wouldn't be traded and then subsequently were. Carlos Delgado was also assured that he wouldn't be traded, but eventually he was. "I understand there may be some disdain in the market place," Beinfest said. "We don't know until we get into those negotiations with free agents or until we show over a sustained period of time that we operate in a certain manner. It's definitely not great for the club and we're going to have to deal with it."

Around The League

-Ichiro Suzuki's agent has said that Suzuki, a free agent, would like to stay with the Yankees. "They are going after pitching first which is what the Yankees normally do," Attanasio, Suzuki's agent, said. "There has been a lot of interest [from teams], but he enjoyed playing for the Yankees so much it's hard for him to say no to the Yankees. His preference is to stay there instead of going someplace else, but we will wait and see."

-Free agent catcher Mike Napoli is speaking with the Texas Rangers, though he is also weighing other options.

-DeMarlo Hale, formerly with the Baltimore Orioles, is leaving Baltimore to become Toronto's bench coach. Hale is a well-respected baseball man, and has been considered for managerial vacancies in the past.

At Fish Stripes

-It has been reported that the Miami Marlins are shopping Yunel Escobar. But why?

-Here is everything you need to know about prospect Anthony Desclafani.

-Mark Buehrle is now angry at the Miami Marlins after being lied to.

-What's left of the Miami Marlins' rotation? Find out here.

-The Marlins' actions with free agents leave the players feeling betrayed. How will the Marlins lure free agents to Miami in the future?

-Josh Johnson will go down as one of the best pitchers in Miami history. How will he be remembered?