Cody Ross Waived; Cameron Maybin Era Begins
August 22, 2010 in Featured, Regular Season, Roster, The Latest by jonnylons
In a move that is probably about a month late, Cody Ross is leaving the Marlins. It was inevitable if the Fish couldn’t make an upward climb in the standings and it appears that they are firmly entrenched where they are now. So, you could say it was a classy move to get Cody Ross a chance at the playoffs by putting him on waivers – and the Giants immediately picked him up.
Of course, this means that Ross’ days with the Marlins are done. Sure, he may come back around in a reprisal role, but the Marlins are now hoping to bear fruit on that deal they made with the Tigers a few seasons ago when they traded Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers for Cameron Maybin and today’s starter, Andrew Miller.
Dontrelle Willis has never been the same. He is in San Francisco working on making a comeback – but could be joining Ross there if he can get straightened out in the minors. Miguel Cabrera just reached over the 30 home run plateau this season where he has been doing it in Detroit for years now. So, it’s quite a hill to climb for the Marlins just to get even here.
Andrew Miller threw 5 solid innings today, donning a mustache and soul patch like the gun slingers of old. He had an ERA of over 6.00 and a WHIP approaching 2 in Jacksonville but the brass saw enough improvement in him to give him a shot. As it turned out, Ricky Nolasco’s freak injury got Miller back on the mound as a starter. Depending on how quickly Nolasco can come back, Miller should have the job for the rest of the season.
Then there is the other piece of that trade – Cameron Maybin. The kid has great athleticism and can definitely cover center field the way Cody Ross did. The question is, can he hit? He had an amazing debut (16-32 in 2008) with the Marlins coming up, but has struggled ever since. In the minors, Maybin has shown more selectivity and solid power.
So Cody Ross will depart and move on to the Giants and a chance to compete in the post season. He was a great character guy to have in the clubhouse and always played with a gritty style that the fans loved. We’ll miss his sheepish, cat-ate-the-mouse grin, too. But the future is here and the Marlins are not playing for a slot in the post season. Now is the time of year for evaluation and there are some prospects that need to be gauged. Maybin and Miller are two that have to produce.
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Maybin is still a couple years away from being serviceable, so the Maybin era won’t being until then. His defense isn’t comparable, and offensively has shown no signs of being MLB ready. On occasion, though, his speed will still prove beneficial.
The Marlins did blow it by not trading Ross to any of the reported three other teams that made offers before the non-waiver deadline. But, how much would Ross provide in a fair return? At best, one or maybe two low or mid level prospects that would never make an impact. If we got lucky, maybe a has-been/never-was middle reliever. At least this way we didn’t receive the typical garbage in return, and will not waste any time on the garbage, making it one of our better “trades” over the last few years.
There is no question that Cody is a good and popular guy, but he’s just an overall average player. Thank him for some good times, and wish him well.
I agree with your assessment of both players. I want so badly to believe that Maybin is a stud. But compare him to Stanton – there is a clear distinction. Stanton is ready and just has raw ability. Maybin, if he has a tangible trait, would be his speed. So, I agree – if anything we will have to wait a few years. If Maybin can give us solid defense and some scoring speed, we can wait.