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The Miami Marlins wrapped up the first day of the 2012 winter meetings on mostly quiet notes. The Fish did not make any moves on any players, but they are still involved in talks even as the day progresses into the evening. And even with no moves yet made (though expect some players to be on the move as the week progresses), the Marlins still have been in the news somewhat during the first day of the 2012 winter meetings. Here is the latest from today.
Stanton Still Unhappy
The Marlins, as of last week, had yet to speak to Giancarlo Stanton about the situation following the major mega-trade between the team and the Toronto Blue Jays. President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest reported that he wanted to wait and allow the team's plans to come to fruition a little more before discussing the situation with Stanton, the team's lone superstar.
Agent joel wolfe says giancarlo feels "same" since unhappy tweet after trade. "It wasn't a reaction, it's a state of mind."
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 3, 2012
Unfortunately, this lack of communication has not helped to stem the tide of Stanton's frustration with the organization in the wake of the move. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that Stanton's agent, Joel Wolfe, believes Stanton's attitude towards the Marlins organization remains the same since the trade.
This does not bode well for a team that is already struggling with issues of credibility with other players. The public problem between Stanton and the Marlins does not look good for a team that is supposed to be rebuilding around him, but that was the expected price to pay for trading all of those teammates in such a haphazard fashion. Now it seems the Marlins have yet to address that problem.
There is no official talk of Stanton requesting a trade, however.
Giancarlo's agent Joel Wolfe declined comment about whether @giancarlo818 had requested a trade. Not happy tho.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 3, 2012
It seems rather irrelevant, as the Marlins control Stanton's rights for another four seasons and can trade him whenever they please. In addition, the team should be in no rush to trade him simply because they will not receive enough value in return anyway. Even if there was smoke to this rumor, the Marlins have all of the leverage to quash anything that happens.
Escobar, Nolasco Trade Rumors
Yesterday we reported the trade rumors involving both Yunel Escobar and Ricky Nolasco. Escobar is being shopped while Nolasco wants a trade out of Miami. For the Marlins, it seems rash to trade Escobar when he is so cheap and possibly could rebuild value with a season in Miami. He is coming off of his worst campaign, and the Fish could allow him half of a year or a full season to display hitting ability and get him back up to a good level by next season. His extremely friendly contract allows the Marlins infinite flexibility in dealing with him, so it is disappointing to see the team hastily trying to jump into a trade.
With Nolasco, on the other hand, the Marlins should quickly make a move to shed his salary. Despite the team's meager payroll, Nolasco is making more money than he likely deserves given his skill level, and the team should get out from underneath his contract with any prospects coming in return.
Marlins Interested in DeRosa
The Fish have already expressed an interest in utility man Ryan Raburn, and the club could be looking for another veteran bench player who could play multiple positions in former Washington Nationals utility man Mark DeRosa. DeRosa was not sure whether he would play in 2013, but given his past three years, it looks as though he should be ready to retire. He has hit just .220/.309/.269 in limited playing time over the last three seasons, so he has seen better days baseball-wise. If the Marlins do sign him, it would be a fairly meaningless signing to bolster a bench that would not need bolstering if the starting lineup were not decimated.
Keep your eyes glued to Fish Stripes for more information about the happenings of the 2012 winter meetings. We will have full coverage of all the news and analysis as it comes to us.