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would it be possible to get both Cespedas, Reyes, and Fielder? Then trade gabby for a pitcher. That would be awesome.
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Last edited by kusch; 11-08-2011, 04:37 PM. -
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Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM Hugg!Comment
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Twitter- Joe CapozziRT @JGreenberg81 #Marlins President David Samson at 10:30a ET on Power Alley with @Jim_Duquette and Kevin Kennedy!Comment
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We did itComment
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Joe CapozziMarlins president David Samson went on the Power Alley show with Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy on MLB Network radio this morning
He didn’t offer any insight to the team’s off-season moves, aside from saying that new manager Ozzie Guillen has been helful in recruiting free agents. He said he spoke yesterday with Hanley Ramirez but didn’t divulge details.
Samson addressed a variety of issues, from Josh Johnson and Hanley Ramirez to the new ballpark to tuse of social media.
Here’s an edited transcript.
The first question came from Duquette:
What can you tell us on the reports out there about the expected interest on Jose Reyes because that’s the one that stands out because it would require another conversation obviously with Hanley:
“We have been pretty organized. We knew this ballpark was coming… This hasn’t snuck up on us. We have known who the free agent class was going to be… We have been planning for this day, really, you can argue, for seven years, in how long it took us to get the building. But for the last two or three years we have been looking forward to his moment right now.
“There are no secrets. The organization as a whole, under the leadership of (owner) Jeffrey Loria, we were very clear with what we wanted to do and what holes we wanted to fill to compliment the existing young core we have.
“We are starting to meet with players and make offers that we think make sense to fit within the context of the entire team, we are putting together…
“Now we have more resources so they payroll is going up but with that comes the danger: you could spend a lot of money and win fewer games and we have seen a lot of teams do that, too.”
On Josh Johnson
“He is ready to go April 4. Anytime you don’t finish a season and you have anything involving a shoulder, it’s a cause of concern but we look at him as an ace but the truth is to be an ace you have to start 35 games a year and you stop losing streaks that way You continue winning streaks
“He has got the stuff, absolutely electric, to be a true, true ace but won’t be until he does it over the course of a full season and then another one and then another one.
We’re happy he is under contract and we are counting on him but most importantly he is counting on himself and wants to be a part of what we are doing here. ‘’
On Yoenis Cespedes
“Obviously he is a special guy. We’ve had some guys seeing him. We’re going to see him again. It’s not too often you can get an impact player like that as a free agent but again in our market at a position like center field with a bat that he has, that would seem like a good fit. But obviously we will see what happens.’’
On who’s the face of the franchise?
“If we do it right there will be 25 faces of the franchise. I’m always reticent to have a face of the franchise because I think that takes away the power of the name Miami marlins. Hanley is a critical part of our team. As our team goes will be how Hanley goes and I was just with him yesterday talking about that.
“He knows how important he is to us and when he is injured we don’t win. Even when he is hitting .240 in the lineup, we win games, and he’s not a .240 hitter. So when you look at us having lost 90 games and we try to figure out, we need to change that by about 19 games so we can win 912 games to make the playoffs at a minimum.
“So where do we get those wins from? We think about Josh Johnson, we think about Hanley Ramirez and what that would mean to us for a full season and then we think about some of the pieces we’re going to bring in and that’s why we think we can be one of eight if this off-season works out the way we hope it will.’’
On new manager Ozzie Guillen
“I guess you could say it has been a while because of how quickly we go through managers but to me it seems like just yesterday we got him. I’m hoping years from now we can say ‘hey, it’s been a while.’…
“We just think he has always been a good fit but never had a chance to talk to him because he was never not under contract with the White Sox. Once that hurdle went away we were able to talk to him. There was really no getting-to-know-each-other period because we know Ozzie. We know what he represents and he knows us.
“And we don’t believe what we read about him and he doesn’t believe what he reads about us because we actually have a relationship based on fact, not sort of conjecture…
“I love reading the articles about how Ozzie may or may not get along with us in the front office but we get along great. We love his outgoing personality… .He has been very helpful as we recruit these free agents, that’s for sure.’’
On Ozzie Guillen’s social-media habits
“I don’t want him to scale back. I just want him, like I want Logan (Morrison) and I want myself and I want everyone who works for us just to understand what social media is. It’s a totally evolving niche in our society and people don’t fully understand its powers.
“Every other day you read about someone who tweets something and has to erase it or gets fined for it, not just in the sports world… This is not just about baseball. I love that Ozzie is – is it a ‘tweeter’ or ‘does tweeting’?… But as far as Im concerned he just has to understand that one you put something out there its always out there.’’
On Logan Morrison
“We have a great relationship. He had a very difficult year personally. He lost his father… I spent a lot of time talking to him. He was sent down because we felt that his performance was not what we expected it to be…
“We don’t expect him to be a journeyman player. We expect him to be a very high on-base, a very consistent discipline within the strike zone. His swing got a little long.
“He went down and got his head together and came up. There’s never been a problem with Logan and the front office at all. It was all really in the media. He is an important part of our team, and we’re very happy to have him.’’
On the new ballpark
“We’re still working out of Sun Life Stadium with one foot out the door… We are looking to start hosting games in early March. On March 5, 6- and 7th we’d like to have some soft openings with some exhibition games and then we have the Yankees coming to town April 1st and 2d prior to (opening the season against) the Cardinals on the fourth.
“We’re about 88 percent done and it’s a true sprint to the finish right now…”
The call to H2R must've been about J7R (Jose Reyes).Comment
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In unrelated news, I really hate this easy nickname crap with H2R and J7R- DaftGod would be expecting a first pitch breaking ball in the dirt because humans love to disappoint him.Comment
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I wonder if he'd break a signing before some with his dad there now.oguillenjr Ozzie Guillen Jr
#whitesox #marlins miami marlins player pursuit very aggressive.Comment
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I don't like how he kinda threw JJ under the bus with the ace talk. I mean, he has a valid point, but still.LHP Chad James-Jupiter Hammerheads-
5-15 3.80 ERA (27 starts) 149.1IP 173H 63ER 51BB 124KComment
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I don't see that as throwing him under the bus at all. I'm sure JJ would agree with that.Comment
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David Samson in a nutshell...
He didn’t offer any insightComment
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MLBTR just compiling all the stuff from the past 24 hours:
--------------------Just like last year, the Marlins are being aggressive early in the offseason. But this time instead of quickly signing John Buck and Javier Vazquez and shipping out Dan Uggla, Cameron Maybin, and Andrew Miller, the new Miami Marlins are wooing top free agents. The latest:
- Mark Buehrle toured the Marlins' new ballpark and caught up with his former manager Ozzie Guillen in a daylong visit yesterday, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Ace Josh Johnson commented, "It would be great for the team as a whole. He's a leader in the clubhouse and would really help out the rotation."
- Buehrle is a better bet to perform over the course of a free agent deal than C.J. Wilson, according to team executives who responded to a poll question posed by ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Responders voted 14 to 8 in favor of Buehrle. A GM told Crasnick, "I know C.J. Wilson is a great story, and he's obviously pitched well. But I don't see knockout stuff, and his arm action concerns me a little bit. Buehrle quietly has been pretty rock-solid for a long time. He works fast and throws with no effort. His recipe seems built to last."
- Marlins president David Samson appeared on MLB Network Radio this morning with Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy, and Capozzi has a transcript. In regard to free-agent-to-be Yoenis Cespedes, Samson said, "Obviously he is a special guy. We’ve had some guys seeing him. We’re going to see him again. It’s not too often you can get an impact player like that as a free agent but again in our market at a position like center field with a bat that he has, that would seem like a good fit." The Marlins are sending a contingent to the Dominican Republic for a private workout with the Cuban center fielder tomorrow, in fact.
- Guillen has been very helpful in recruiting free agents, according to Samson. The Marlins are meeting with Jose Reyes today, and one Mets person told John Harper of the New York Daily News the Marlins plan to offer Reyes a high-salary, three-year deal. Personally, I don't think the Marlins will limit their offers to three years.
- I heard today that while Japan's Yomiuri Giants inquired on free agent and former Marlins top prospect Jeremy Hermida, he's looking to stay in MLB.
More (lesser) pitching options for MarlinsMore (lesser) pitching options for Marlins
0 minutes ago by KenRosenthal
As the Marlins pursue left-hander Mark Buehrle at the top of the free-agent market, here are two lesser names to consider as they seek to upgrade their rotation:
Carlos Zambrano. Livan Hernandez.
Miami has seemed a logical destination for “Big Z” ever since the Marlins named his friend and fellow Venezuelan, Ozzie Guillen, their new manager.
Zambrano, 30, has a full no-trade clause, so he could effectively tell the Cubs, “the Marlins or else.” Of course, he can’t simply snap his fingers and make such a deal happen, not when he is owed $18 million in 2012.
Still, the Braves paid $10 million of Derek Lowe’s $15 million salary to trade him to the Indians. Zambrano, for all of his off-field histrionics, actually had a lower ERA than Lowe last season (4.82-5.05). If the Cubs turned him into a $5 million pitcher, the way the Braves did with Lowe, perhaps the Marlins or another team would bite.
Hernandez, who turns 37 on Feb. 20, would be strictly a fifth starter, chewing up innings. He will not return to the Nationals, who are deep in starting pitching and pursuing high-end free agents such are right-hander Roy Oswalt. But a return to Miami would complete his career circle – he began his major-league career with the Marlins in 1996.
In a perfect world, the Marlins would sign Buehrle and find another starter who is better than Zambrano or Hernandez. But if they strike out with their top choices, it wouldn’t be a shock if Zambrano and/or Hernandez became options.
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Samson will be on with LeBatard at 5pm.Comment
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Samson 5 PM 790 the Ticket. Usually doesn't leak anything but it will probably be very interesting today.
Hate when people call him to talk movies, talk about our damn team.Comment
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I wouldn't be opposed to bringing back Hermida.Comment
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