General FA: Beinfest Says Rotation Set

[MiamiHomer]

So exciting!

[Omar]

It's going to be a rather short meeting if they have to be ready for a press conference in 50 minutes

[Erick]

Press conference for Heath Bell concludes with Jeffrey Loria walking off and saying: "oh, by the way, we just signed Albert Pujols. Have a good days, guise!"

[The Hanram]

Remove Obama and insert Loria for that.

[MiamiHomer]

joecapMARLINS joe capozzi
#Marlins just met w Dan Lozano, agent for Albert Pujols. Fish also hope to leave Dallas w a new starring pitcher

twitter

[Big Z]

I'm guessing via trade, unless they're leaving without Pujols.
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Marlins hoping to introduce Jose Reyes in Dallas on Wednesday. Possible they'll also do something in Miami on Friday

Uh-oh, party with Pujols?

[Swifty]

Beinfest said they plan on tendering "Leo". That's a deep pen.

[emkayseven]

Amazing. Assuming we do sign Wilson/Buehrle/Pujols (just one) that's over $100MM, right?

[Swifty]

Easily.

[MiamiHomer]

Beinfest said they plan on tendering "Leo". That's a deep pen.

I thought they said like 2 weeks ago that he would be non-tendered...

[Ramp]

That's what the Marlins beat writers thought

[Swifty]

“@joecapMARLINS: #Marlins plan to tender Juan Carlos Oviedo, formerly Leo Nunez”

...

[Erick]

...to trade him, I would imagine.

[tjfla]

They are gonna tender Oviedo to either trade him (if he makes it back into the US) and if not he will be put back on the Restricted List

Either way he will NOT be on the team-only reason is to get something for him

[MiamiHomer]

DALLAS -- Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria would not directly address his team's interest in three-time MVP Albert Pujols this afternoon, choosing instead to infer the club's interest and allude to the opportunity the Marlins had to land high-caliber and high-dollar players.

"We'll see," Loria said, walking out of the press conference the club held to introduce closer Heath Bell as their first of at least two new additions this week.

"We're going to talk some more," said Loria, who met this afternoon with Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano. "I never stop thinking and looking for things to be better. It's not that there are no limits, but there are opportunities that we want to pursue."

The Marlins have already spent more than $130 million on free agents this season. Their payroll has skyrocketed from $57 million for the 25-man roster last season to about $75 million guaranteed for 2012 on eight players. The eighth is shortstop Jose Reyes, who has a six-year, $106-million deal ready to be finalized with the team. Loria did not confirm Reyes' signing when he spoke to the media for about 15 minutes this afternoon in a hallway at the Hilton Anatole. He did say that Reyes was interested in the city, the team and "the opportunity" that the Marlins offered him.

Asked if it said something about where his team was headed with its new ballpark and new culture that Pujols would agree to even visit with him and other execs in Miami, Loria deflected the question.

"I don’t want to talk about Albert," Loria said. "That’s not the purpose of today. This is Heath’s day."

It is not clear if the Marlins used this afternoon's meeting with Lozano to increase their offer to Pujols. Miami's initial offer -- which was made during Pujols' visit to Miami in November -- was for nine years, and according to a baseball source had a less annual average value than the Cardinals' extension offer made in January. That offer averaged $22 million per season.

A source with knowledge of the negotiations between Pujols' agent and an interested team said they expect to have resolution within the next couple days.

Loria would not commit to being able to add another franchise-level player to the Marlins' payroll.

He and GM Larry Beinfest did not directly address questions about the possibility of doubling the team's payroll from 2011 as they enter their new ballpark in Miami proper.

"We'll see what happens," Beinfest said. "It's very different for us. (We can) be aggressive. ... When we talk to free agents it's a different day for us."

Loria would only say that the Marlins' aren't done shopping.

"One big hitter? You mean the baseball hitter -- player?" Loria said. "I don't know about that. There's a possibility of another player or two that we're looking at."

Winter Meetings: Loria on Marlins adding a mega-contract