Marlins Sign C John Buck to 3 Year Deal

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Florida signed catcher John Buck to a three-year, $18 million contract. Boston was thought to be in the mix, but viewed Buck more as a backup and not someone to go three years with.

Diamondbacks gauging trade interest in Upton

So a team that spends money like it grows on trees and has seen Buck a hell of a lot more than us the past 6 years wouldn't give him three years and doesn't think he's a starting catcher? This deal keeps getting worse.

[CrimsonCane]

I think the only thing getting worse is you.

[PitchingWinsGames]

Diamondbacks gauging trade interest in Upton

So a team that spends money like it grows on trees and has seen Buck a hell of a lot more than us the past 6 years wouldn't give him three years and doesn't think he's a starting catcher? This deal keeps getting worse.

Comparing the Red Sox to the Marlins isn't reasonable.

[kylekash]

the Red Sox like to have all-stars at every position and starting caliber players as backups. The money may have been roughly the same but the Marlins could have promised more playing time. Who knows, but comparing the Red Sox to the Marlins is apples to oranges.

[Omar]

I'd challenge the observation that the Red Sox spend money like it's grown on trees, but I don't want to have all of my posts trolled

[Ramp]

Former Marlins closer Kevin Gregg spent all of last season throwing to John Buck. The two are free agents, and Gregg secretly hoped he would end up in the same place as Buck. For that to happen, Gregg would have to reunite with the Marlins.

As early as today the Marlins are expected to announce the signing of Buck to a three-year contract. Gregg thinks it’s a great acquisition.

“He is outstanding,” Gregg said. “This guy is one of the first people to show up every day. He’s studying video, studying his own film, making sure he’s working correctly and doing the right sequences. Just a real student of the game. He’s not just concerned about hitting and hitting home runs. He takes a lot of pride in not giving up runs and really helping his pitchers excel.

“You could trust him. You knew his preparation. You knew when he came out and said something he had the conviction he was on the right page. Of course, every time I crossed him I gave up a hit so I learned real quick not to do that…His ability to help a pitching staff, you can’t say enough about it.”

As a long-time member of the Los Angeles Angeles, Gregg faced Buck regularly when he was the Royals’ catcher. He remembers thinking Buck was a nice player, but nothing too special. That perception changed when they became teammates in Toronto.

“Talking to him a little bit, I think he became more of a student of the game and really tried to learn the pitching side,” Gregg said. “It helped his hitting as well because he started thinking along with the pitcher and got more aggressive at the plate and started to believe in himself. He had a great approach all year that I didn’t see playing against him in the past.

“Spending a whole year with him, his [new] deal, it’s a great deal. It’s a good thing for all those [Marlins] pitchers. I know John Baker did a good job, but he’s not going to be around with the Tommy John surgery. [The Marlins] aren’t going to miss anything. He’s going to figure out real quick how to help that pitching staff and make them even better.”

link

Very nice quotes from Gregg

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Deal has been announced. Comment from Beinfest;

joecapMARLINS: Beinfest--on John Buck we identified him early on he fit all qualities we were looking for #Marlins

/Twitter

[HUGG]

he's a True Marlin!

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Catcher John Buck passed his physical Wednesday night in Miami, making his three-year, $18 million deal free agent deal official. President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest said the Marlins pounced on Buck, reaching out to his agents at 12:01 a.m. two Sundays ago when free agency opened.

“We wanted a big, durable, experienced, frontline catcher and we identified John early in the process and went right at him,” Beinfest said. “A big part of the package is his leadership skills. He comes with a reputation as a strong leader, smart game caller. I think it’ll be a big benefit to our young starting staff.”

Buck is coming off a career year offensively, batting .281 with 20 homers, 66 RBI and a .802 on-base plus slugging percentage for the Blue Jays. He also comes with a career .301 on-base percentage and has totaled 3.7 strikeouts for every walk. Beinfest said the Marlins would be thrilled if Buck duplicated his 2010 season.

“I think we’re putting a little bit more premium on the defense and the person,” he said. “We expect that he’s going to be more than competent offensively, but I think when we looked at the whole package it made sense to us.”

Beinfest added that completing this deal “would have been extremely challenging” had they agreed to an extension with Dan Uggla.

For those wondering about John Baker, who underwent Tommy John on Sept. 3, he is scheduled to start baseball activities on Dec. 1. Come spring training he’ll be able to swing a bat, but his arm strength and throwing will be the big question. Beinfest said Baker may play in Grapefruit League games, but they won’t push theissue.

Marlins finalize deal with John Buck

[Ramp]

Marlins Baseball: The Buck stops here.

[Todd]

2011 SITE SLOGAN!

[emkayseven]

4.5 in 2011, 6 mil the next two years, with a 1.5 mil signing bonus

[Bobbob1313]

Fine.

[lou]

Really telling about Baker also. He is not going to be back anytime soon.

I wonder if backup catcher should be added to the shopping list, because Hayes and Davis are not really 40-50 game material.

[Metes]

My name is Buck and I'm here to Fuck