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For anyone who watched the Marlins last year, it is no secret that the play at third base was sorely lacking. Many people expect the Marlins to look for an upgrade, possibly a temporary one, for this upcoming year. Marlins blogger Joe Frisaro posted today, that the Marlins may be looking at David Freese through a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Swartz goes on to say that while many are comparing Stanton to some of the other young power hitters to go through the arbitration system like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, his games played may place him more in a category of Nelson Cruz and Carlos Quentin. Certainly all talented players, but Cabrera and Fielder earned around 7.5 million for their arbitration and Cruz and Quentin earned around 3.5 million.
But what is puzzling is not that teams need power at 1B but that they see Logan Morrison as the solution.
-ORLANDO: Marlins in pursuit of upgrade at catcher - Miami Marlins - MiamiHerald.com
The quest for catching never seems to end for the Marlins. John Buck wasn’t the answer. So far, Rob Brantly hasn’t been either. Heck, only once in franchise history have the Marlins had the same everyday catcher for three consecutive years, and that was Charles Johnson in the mid-1990s. Once again, they’re on the prowl for a catching upgrade. The problem is they are far from the only team with catching needs, making the task a difficult one.
-Marlins/Yankees to play spring games in Panama | Fish Bytes
The Marlins are headed to Central America. For two spring training games, that is. The Marlins are scheduled to play the New York Yankees in a pair of exhibition games in Panama on March 15-16, according to a source with knowledge of the plan.
-Miami Marlins seeking more runs, not necessarily more power - Sun Sentinel
Asked before the start of the General Managers’ Meetings about the team’s offseason priorities, President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill answered, "Offense, offense, offense." No surprise, considering the 100-loss Miami Marlins had one of the worst run-scoring seasons in recent baseball history. Part of the problem was the club’s inability to hit the ball over the fence, but perhaps somewhat surprisingly Hill said adding another big bopper to complement Giancarlo Stanton wasn’t a must.
-Miami Marlins: How much will Giancarlo Stanton earn in arbitration? - Sun Sentinel
Writing for MLB Tradrumors, Matt Swartz broke down why he projects Giancarlo Stanton will earn a paltry $4.8 million in arbitration. The Marlins wish that’s all they’ll have to pay him in 2014, but they're not counting on it. None of the half dozen or so NL front office folks I spoke with at the General Managers’ Meetings earlier this week said Stanton would get anything less than $6.5 million. One thought the figure would be closer to $7.5 million. Swartz wrote that while the arbitration system rewards power above all else, Stanton’s playing time will hurt him. In his first full season (2011), Stanton appeared in 150 games. He followed that up with 123 and 116 games, respectively. Nonetheless, for his career he’s averaged a homer every 14.9 plate appearances.
-Looking back at the Marlins' blockbuster trade one year later | marlins.com: News
A year ago at the General Managers Meetings, the seeds were planted for what blossomed into one of the biggest and most controversial trades in Marlins history. The framework of the 12-player package was discussed at last fall's GM Meetings in Indian Wells, Calif. On Nov. 19, 2012, the deal became official, as Miami sent established stars Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio to Toronto for Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Jeff Mathis, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino, Anthony DeSclafani and Yunel Escobar. Escobar, at the Winter Meetings a few weeks later, was sent to the Rays for Derek Dietrich. The trade shed roughly $168 million in future salary commitments by the Marlins, and it purged the remaining high-priced pieces from the high-profile 2012 Miami roster.
Around The League
-The Nationals are trying to rekindle 2012's magic. | SportsonEarth.com : John Perrotto Article
The Nats won 98 regular-season games in 2012 -- the most in the majors -- and seemed motivated to improve in 2013, but they didn't even make the postseason. GM Mike Rizzo can't help but look back and wonder what went wrong.
-Cubs prospect Kris Bryant caps big year with Arizona Fall League MVP Award | MLB.com: News
Cubs third-base prospect Kris Bryant added to his trophy case Saturday when he was named the Arizona Fall League's 2013 Joe Black MVP Award winner before his Mesa Solar Sox faced the Surprise Saguaros for the league title.
-Tigers' Miguel Cabrera sees healthy future on the horizon | MLB.com: News
Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera earned a second consecutive American League Most Valuable Player Award in part for his ability to play through injuries in 2013. He does not expect to have to do the same in 2014.
-Hot Stove roundup: Robinson Cano in no hurry | MLB.com: News
The MLB Hot Stove is starting to warm as we head into the winter, but there have been indications that one of baseball's top players will draw his free agency well into winter. What other free agent news came about on Saturday?
At Fish Stripes
-Offseason Fish Food: Greatest draft pick in Marlins history? - Fish Stripes
The Offseason Fish Food asks another tough question for Marlins fans: what is the team's best draft pick in history? Who do you think takes the top spot?
-Jose Fernandez named National League Rookie of the Year - Fish Stripes
The Baseball Writers Association of America awarded Jose Fernandez the title of National League Rookie of the Year today.
-Miami Marlins not shopping members of young core - Fish Stripes
At the General Managers meetings this week, President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill told reporters the organization does not seek to break up a young core of players featuring Jose Fernandez, Giancarlo Stanton, and Christian Yelich.
-2014 Fish Stripes Marlins Offseason Plan: Projections - Fish Stripes
The final piece of the 2014 Fish Stripes Marlins Offseason Plan is the expectation of how everything might turn out. How will the Marlins that I built play next year?
-This Day in Marlins History: The first 1997 fire sale trade - Fish Stripes
Sixteen years ago, the Marlins traded All-Star Moises Alou, thus resulting in the start of the Marlins franchise developing a poor reputation.