The Marlins payroll....

[FIN-IN-RI]

I know it sounds bad giving up our 2 best pitching prospects but you don't get chances to trade for guys like Dontrelle ever really.. 24 years old, 46-27 record for a crappy team, 3.25 career era, avg's over 30 starts a year, hasn't been hurt yet, and he is able to throw tons of innings.. This is the short list..

I'll give you Lester, but Papelbon??!

 

[MikeO]

Neither Willis or Cabera will go anywhere. If they ever got rid of one or both of them, then NO city on earth would give the Marlins a legit deal to go play there. Whether it be Portland, Vegas, Nashville....etc.

The ONLY selling point this franchise has are those 2 players. Without them its a AAA team getting their brains beaten in for years to come.

 

[Prime Time]

Neither Willis or Cabera will go anywhere. If they ever got rid of one or both of them, then NO city on earth would give the Marlins a legit deal to go play there. Whether it be Portland, Vegas, Nashville....etc.

The ONLY selling point this franchise has are those 2 players. Without them its a AAA team getting their brains beaten in for years to come.

Are you serious? This team could seriously contend in maybe 2...but def. 3-4 years.

 

[MikeO]

Are you serious? This team could seriously contend in maybe 2...but def. 3-4 years.

It can contend without those 2 players??? LOL, OK!

In that division with ATM-Omar and the Mets new found money and the Braves still being....the Braves I see Florida have a big uphill battle in the NL East let alone being a contender for anything else. That is WITH Willis and Migs

 

[Prime Time]

I was talking about with them..in 2-3 years I see them contending. The young talent is the upside for this team.

 

[nick1]

their farm system is really good, imagine if they ever kept the team together. they will be a dynasty whenever they do that

 

[RWhitney014]

Monster, the Sox just gave up 4 players for Beckett and Lowell, and Lowell actually worsened the deal for Florida because of his albatross contract. If they were to get Willis under club control for 2-3 more years before signing him to a long extension, there's no doubt in my mind Florida would demand at least 3 but probably 4 legit-to-stud prospects in return. There would be a bidding war for him, too, so that's not an if.

Regardless, this is moot. Loria dispelled these rumors the other day, but it's common sense. Why trade a durable, young, left-handed, marketable, popular, intelligent, young, left-handed, star pitcher?

And don't come back and use the "they traded Beckett" argument. Josh is skilled beyond belief, but the fact is, October 2003 notwithstanding, he's a .500, injury-prone pitcher. Dontrelle has been an All Star multiple times and has a 22-win season under his belt. Scarily, with any run/defensive support, he should only get better.

 

[nick1]

Monster, the Sox just gave up 4 players for Beckett and Lowell, and Lowell actually worsened the deal for Florida because of his albatross contract. If they were to get Willis under club control for 2-3 more years before signing him to a long extension, there's no doubt in my mind Florida would demand at least 3 but probably 4 legit-to-stud prospects in return. There would be a bidding war for him, too, so that's not an if.

Regardless, this is moot. Loria dispelled these rumors the other day, but it's common sense. Why trade a durable, young, left-handed, marketable, popular, intelligent, young, left-handed, star pitcher?

And don't come back and use the "they traded Beckett" argument. Josh is skilled beyond belief, but the fact is, October 2003 notwithstanding, he's a .500, injury-prone pitcher. Dontrelle has been an All Star multiple times and has a 22-win season under his belt. Scarily, with any run/defensive support, he should only get better.

Willis can also hit very well, he does it all

 

[Prime Time]

Monster, the Sox just gave up 4 players for Beckett and Lowell, and Lowell actually worsened the deal for Florida because of his albatross contract. If they were to get Willis under club control for 2-3 more years before signing him to a long extension, there's no doubt in my mind Florida would demand at least 3 but probably 4 legit-to-stud prospects in return. There would be a bidding war for him, too, so that's not an if.

Regardless, this is moot. Loria dispelled these rumors the other day, but it's common sense. Why trade a durable, young, left-handed, marketable, popular, intelligent, young, left-handed, star pitcher?

And don't come back and use the "they traded Beckett" argument. Josh is skilled beyond belief, but the fact is, October 2003 notwithstanding, he's a .500, injury-prone pitcher. Dontrelle has been an All Star multiple times and has a 22-win season under his belt. Scarily, with any run/defensive support, he should only get better.

I totally agree with you, but you said left handed and young twice...I found it amusing

 

[MikeO]

Monster, the Sox just gave up 4 players for Beckett and Lowell, and Lowell actually worsened the deal for Florida because of his albatross contract. If they were to get Willis under club control for 2-3 more years before signing him to a long extension, there's no doubt in my mind Florida would demand at least 3 but probably 4 legit-to-stud prospects in return. There would be a bidding war for him, too, so that's not an if.

Regardless, this is moot. Loria dispelled these rumors the other day, but it's common sense. Why trade a durable, young, left-handed, marketable, popular, intelligent, young, left-handed, star pitcher?

And don't come back and use the "they traded Beckett" argument. Josh is skilled beyond belief, but the fact is, October 2003 notwithstanding, he's a .500, injury-prone pitcher. Dontrelle has been an All Star multiple times and has a 22-win season under his belt. Scarily, with any run/defensive support, he should only get better.

Not to mention without Willis and Migs, there is nothing to move or sell. You can't expect a city to build a stadium and put up millions/billions for a franchise that has not 1 marketable player and is hanging its hat on a farm system! The marlins are moving out of South Florida, and Migs and Wills will be part of that move since they are the only thing worth anything on any level for a city to want them.

 

[FIN-IN-RI]

Not to mention without Willis and Migs, there is nothing to move or sell. You can't expect a city to build a stadium and put up millions/billions for a franchise that has not 1 marketable player and is hanging its hat on a farm system! The marlins are moving out of South Florida, and Migs and Wills will be part of that move since they are the only thing worth anything on any level for a city to want them.

Someone will still invest in the team and move it regardless. The long-term revanue of a baseball team in a city where there currently isn't one, outweighs the payroll/star power it has on the day it's moved. I doubt that the Marlins will get rid of both players but one of them certainly isn't out of the question and people will still buy tickets. When you're not paying a boat load of cash for players it frees up money for other areas of what amounts to an expanison team.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I would trade Lester and Papelbon for Willis, but those 2 plus Pedoria and Ellsbury is to much to ask for any player.. Papelbon's value is rising daily and we would be giving up all of our cheap major league ready talent in one deal.. I just don't think this is the Red Sox style anymore..

Green Monster, I love you man but are you out of your mind? There's no way I'd trade Papelbon for Willis straight up, let alone putting Lester in the deal. In all seriousness (and I'm sure everyone is going to call me a homer for this) but I probably wouldn't even trade Lester for Willis, let alone adding some of our other prospects (especially Pedroia who is next year's SS/2B or Ellsbury who will be in the OF for the Sox in 2007) for Willis. Lester is younger than Willis and yes I know Willis is MLB proven and is very very good I just wouldn't want to give up a lot of talent for him when Lester could possibly be equal to Willis.

Ok I'm ready let the homer bashings begin.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Monster, the Sox just gave up 4 players for Beckett and Lowell, and Lowell actually worsened the deal for Florida because of his albatross contract. If they were to get Willis under club control for 2-3 more years before signing him to a long extension, there's no doubt in my mind Florida would demand at least 3 but probably 4 legit-to-stud prospects in return. There would be a bidding war for him, too, so that's not an if.

Regardless, this is moot. Loria dispelled these rumors the other day, but it's common sense. Why trade a durable, young, left-handed, marketable, popular, intelligent, young, left-handed, star pitcher?

And don't come back and use the "they traded Beckett" argument. Josh is skilled beyond belief, but the fact is, October 2003 notwithstanding, he's a .500, injury-prone pitcher. Dontrelle has been an All Star multiple times and has a 22-win season under his belt. Scarily, with any run/defensive support, he should only get better.

I agree 100% and that's why if I ran the Sox I wouldn't make that deal. It's not worth it, considering who they would probably have to give up.

The players in the Beckett deal for the Red Sox were expandable (although losing Hanley did hurt, but Sanchez was an injury risk and was the 4th best pitching prospect in the Sox farm system). The players in a Willis deal will hurt a lot.

 

[RWhitney014]

I totally agree with you, but you said left handed and young twice...I found it amusing

:wink:

That was very much on purpose.

And Mike, I believe I included marketable as one of Willis' attributes.

I was at the game tonight, and believe me, the only player that got any kind of a real ovation was Cabrera. Hanley and Ham both got reasonably nice ones, and after that it was Uggla and Jakes.

 

[RWhitney014]

Green Monster, I love you man but are you out of your mind? There's no way I'd trade Papelbon for Willis straight up, let alone putting Lester in the deal. In all seriousness (and I'm sure everyone is going to call me a homer for this) but I probably wouldn't even trade Lester for Willis, let alone adding some of our other prospects (especially Pedroia who is next year's SS/2B or Ellsbury who will be in the OF for the Sox in 2007) for Willis. Lester is younger than Willis and yes I know Willis is MLB proven and is very very good I just wouldn't want to give up a lot of talent for him when Lester could possibly be equal to Willis.

Ok I'm ready let the homer bashings begin.

HOMER!!!

(Had to.)

Anyway, my theory on trades that aren't improving the current team is that you demand ridiculously high and then move down, because then the "compromise" you're making with the other team is still ridiculously good. For instance, in the Delgado deal, the Marlins asked from the Mets for Jacobs, Milledge, and Petit; the Mets responded with "you can have Jacobs and we'll throw in an okay talent in Grant Psomas, but you have choose from Petit and Milledge." We ended up with our starting 1B and a potential 2-3 starter instead of just Jacobs and someone else.

The demand for Willis would be off the charts, so the requests are off the charts. You're hoping to pull a Kazmir-for-Zambrano, a Bagwell-for-Larry Andersen-type deal. You only do that by starting very, very high.