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Welcome to Miami, Nick Johnson; Marlins Acquire Nationals Firstbaseman

July 31, 2009 By jonnylons Leave a Comment

Nick the Stick is on his way to MiamiIt was a rumor that apparently kept growing louder and louder. The possible deal was for either or . Apparently, the Nationals settled on Thompson when the deadline dust settled.

It was reported earlier today that the possible deal was off as the Nationals announced their lineup for tonight’s game with in it. Things changed quickly from there.

The Nationals are trying to rebuild their organization with pitching help, and considering the recent moves they are making they are well on their way. There were reports that the Nationals were actively shopping Johnson to clubs looking to get some help for their runs to the postseason – they contacted the Giants about a deal for Jonathan Sanchez, which was turned down.

This deal makes a lot of sense for the Marlins as they add some lefty power to their lineup and gain even more depth and flexibility. Jorge Cantu currently plays 1B, but with the addition of Johnson there may be a shift to 3B for Cantu in the works. Certainly this helps the Marlins offense as they can stash Johnson in the lineup right behind Hanley Ramirez and give him some insurance in the lineup. Plus, the Marlins will only be responsible for a fraction of the $5M owed to Johnson in this, his last season under contract. That figure estimates to be about $1.7M for the Fish as they get Johnson’s services for the rest of the season.

In 98 games, Johnson is batting .295 with 6 home runs, 44 RBIs and a .408 on base percentage. He is a dangerous and disciplined hitter which can help the Marlins work counts and drive in runs and also adds a lefty bat for the lineup. He also is a very good defender: gold glove caliber.

Give us your reaction to the Marlins reeling in Nick Johnson on the forum.

Filed Under: Trades Tagged With: ,

Marlins Busy as Trade Deadline Descends

July 31, 2009 By jonnylons 1 Comment

It is falling upon us like the night sky only for the Marlins, there is some light here. The Fish are embroiled in several trade rumors, which indicates nothing other than the Malrins are actually buyers at this point in the year, which is a good indication that the brass feels good about getting to the postseason. As they should.

What deals are being looked at as the 4pm deadline looms?

  • ($5.5M and a free agent at season’s end) for and/or . The Nats are shopping Johnson’s contract in the hopes of netting more young talent. They were rejected Jonathan Sanchez from the Giants in an offer for Johnson. The Marlins would only be responsible for $1.95M of his contract.
  • Marlins rejected a deal for Padres closer Heath Bell. Good thing, too because the Padres were asking for Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller. Um, right. Can anyone say overvalue? Besides, he is having a career year and what kind of an improvement would he really offer on the current bullpen? Better off staying away from that one.
  • – yes, Halladay the ex-Cy Young winner – was a target. More like a heat check as the Marlins inquired but according to Juan C. Rodriguez, no deal unless the Marlins threw in . That shows you just how highly valued Stanton is although the thought of adding Halladay to this staff gets you drooling.
  • has also been rumored, but the Yankees are also interested. Bannister is 6-7 on the year with a 3.80 ERA – not bad in the AL and is also only due $1.74M.
  • There is also a possible reunion with . The Marlins kicked the tires on Adrian Gonzalez, too – another ex-Marlin – but the Padres want what the Marlins don’t want to part with.

4pm deadline is today so keep your eye open and let’s see if the Fish can add a gun or two to their arsenal. Their playoff chances probably depend on it.

Filed Under: Rumors Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Marlins Prospects Making Strong Impressions

July 31, 2009 By jonnylons Leave a Comment

The future is bright for the Marlins. Currently they are playing very good baseball as they battle their way into contention for the and the NL East. The parent club is doing this with a modest payroll and a future that has an economic boon on the horizon with the new stadium opening in 2012.

In the meantime, their farm system is starting to churn out their own hits, too.

Currently, there are two Marlins prospects that have been deemed “untouchable” by the Marlins front office – and . In fact, Joe Frisaro, via his twitter account, has said that scouts rank the Marlins top prospects as follows:

  1. Mike Stanton
  2. Matt Dominguez
  3. Logan Morrison

In order to get a visual, Stanton is being compared to Dave Winfield and is quietly becoming one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Dominguez has been compared to Ryan Zimmerman and Mike Lowell.

But what do you notice about the current ranking of Marlin prospects that seems out of place? They are all hitters. This is an unusual feature of the Marlins farm system – typically, it is loaded with pitching talent. The pitching talent is still very much there, considering that is currently being rumored as a piece in a deal for with the Nationals and the Marlins have called up prospects and Rick Vandenhurk to fill holes in the rotation.

Is it a shift in a paradigm for the Marlins? No, the basic tenet for the front office is to build with pitching as evidenced by this past draft where 3 of the 4 top picks of the Marlins are pitchers. It is simply a volume game in that the more you stock up the more likely you will find a strong pitching talent. As recent events have shown in the bigs, pitchers can net a lot of talent in return if you are in the market for dealing – see and Cliff Lee.

Filed Under: Fish Farm, Future Fish Report Tagged With: , , , , ,

Badenhop Will Miss Braves Series With Suspension

July 29, 2009 By jonnylons Leave a Comment

will be missed – he will not suit up for the Braves series as he began serving his three game suspension on Tuesday. Recall, if you will, the incident that got him there – the two pitch target practice decided to take on during the game. The Hopper opted to man up and take down Orlando Hudson in retaliation.

This after umpire warned both teams after plunked Hanley Ramirez – for apparently no reason.

What happened to Weaver, you may ask? Only a fine. No suspension. Nothing. Badenhop serves a three game suspension while also has a suspension, only 1 game. So is justice served? Of course not.

Filed Under: Regular Season Tagged With: , , , ,

Ross Gload’s Pinch Hit Home Run Gives Finger to Braves

July 29, 2009 By jonnylons Leave a Comment

Sweet delectable justice served with a fist. That is what we like to see. And in this tight NL East race for 2nd place – as the Phillies laugh and pull away – nothing is sweeter than what occured last night.

You’ve probably seen the highlights by now. If not, go to Florida Marlins.com and watch it. Like 5 times. comes to the plate in the ultimate drama – his team is down 3-2 after gave up a home run to a stinking Brave to potentially lose the game. was having none of that.

Gload stepped up to the plate with his usual intensity – the kind that one finds in an old western just before the shootout. Only the hero in this story wasn’t about to be put in a pine box, he was the one pulling the trigger to drop the other man. Gload’s home run launched into the right field bleachers and it seemed to continue traveling off into the night. He rounded the bases with a swagger and got his friendly beatin’ when he touched home plate to end the game.

Perfect. Just perfect.

To have a guy come over from the AL and quietly go about his business – getting himself prepared every game to come off the bench and be a left handed asset for – is a huge luxury. And for the cash-strapped Marlins, a massive asset. Gload has been the perfect complement to Wes Helms, a shrewd veteran that knows his craft, loves to compete, and won’t back down. He just got his chance to show how good he is and helped his team tremendously.

The Marlins are on a roll now. They just went on a road trip and won 5 of 6 games on the west coast, and came home to face the hot Braves for a pit fight in the stacking order of the NL East. Even if the Phillies continue to stay hot, the Marlins have to keep pace to tread water for a possible late September leap frog with the Phillies. Or even to keep an eye on the race, which may potentially get the Fish extra baseball this season.

Doing it against the Braves is just so satisfying. You can’t help but imagine a wink from Gload when he did it.

Filed Under: Regular Season, walk off Tagged With: , , ,
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