BY CLARK SPENCER
cspencer@MiamiHerald.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- It could be days -- even hours -- before Dan Uggla, Matt Lindstrom and Renyel Pinto are Marlins no more. Josh Johnson, on the other hand, could still be looking at years, though that prospect remains slim.
Trade talks for Uggla, Lindstrom and Pinto continued Tuesday at the winter meetings. And the Marlins reestablished contact with Johnson's agent, Matt Sosnick, after talks over a long-term contract broke down two weeks ago.
``We're open to it,'' Larry Beinfest, the Marlins' president of baseball operations, told reporters about a potential long-term deal involving Johnson. ``I don't know what Matt and J.J. are thinking, but we're open to it.''
However, Sosnick said the Marlins only mentioned a one-year contract for the upcoming 2010 season when they spoke with him last, and he wasn't optimistic about a long-term deal getting done. Sosnick has said if the club has any intention of keeping Johnson long-term, he'll accept nothing less than a four-year deal.
``We're sort of dancing to their beat,'' Sosnick said. ``But we're just talking about a one-year deal. There hasn't been any talk about a multiyear deal.''
Johnson remains in club control the next two seasons, after which he'll become eligible for free agency. Beinfest said there's always a chance the Marlins could try again to sign Johnson long-term after the 2010 season.
``The only rule we have, generally, is we don't do long-term deals that don't include free agency,'' Beinfest said.
One media outlet reported Tuesday that the Texas Rangers had offered two of their top prospects, first baseman Justin Smoak and right-hander Neftali Feliz, for Johnson. But there are strong hints the Marlins are not interested in dealing any of their starters, which they consider vital to success.
Uggla, Lindstrom and Pinto, on the other hand, are a different story.
The Marlins have spoken to a handful of teams about Uggla, their All-Star second baseman. Lindstrom, a hard-throwing reliever, has generated even more interest.
The Giants, Orioles and Red Sox are among the teams that have expressed interest in Uggla.
cspencer@MiamiHerald.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- It could be days -- even hours -- before Dan Uggla, Matt Lindstrom and Renyel Pinto are Marlins no more. Josh Johnson, on the other hand, could still be looking at years, though that prospect remains slim.
Trade talks for Uggla, Lindstrom and Pinto continued Tuesday at the winter meetings. And the Marlins reestablished contact with Johnson's agent, Matt Sosnick, after talks over a long-term contract broke down two weeks ago.
``We're open to it,'' Larry Beinfest, the Marlins' president of baseball operations, told reporters about a potential long-term deal involving Johnson. ``I don't know what Matt and J.J. are thinking, but we're open to it.''
However, Sosnick said the Marlins only mentioned a one-year contract for the upcoming 2010 season when they spoke with him last, and he wasn't optimistic about a long-term deal getting done. Sosnick has said if the club has any intention of keeping Johnson long-term, he'll accept nothing less than a four-year deal.
``We're sort of dancing to their beat,'' Sosnick said. ``But we're just talking about a one-year deal. There hasn't been any talk about a multiyear deal.''
Johnson remains in club control the next two seasons, after which he'll become eligible for free agency. Beinfest said there's always a chance the Marlins could try again to sign Johnson long-term after the 2010 season.
``The only rule we have, generally, is we don't do long-term deals that don't include free agency,'' Beinfest said.
One media outlet reported Tuesday that the Texas Rangers had offered two of their top prospects, first baseman Justin Smoak and right-hander Neftali Feliz, for Johnson. But there are strong hints the Marlins are not interested in dealing any of their starters, which they consider vital to success.
Uggla, Lindstrom and Pinto, on the other hand, are a different story.
The Marlins have spoken to a handful of teams about Uggla, their All-Star second baseman. Lindstrom, a hard-throwing reliever, has generated even more interest.
The Giants, Orioles and Red Sox are among the teams that have expressed interest in Uggla.
Comment