Blog Archives
Chase Headley: Contract Talks Or Trade Bait?
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Monday May 6th, 2013

Headley led the NL with 115 RBI in 2012 amongst 31 HRs, he will need to put up monster numbers for the Padres to compete with the NL West teams going forward Chase Headley actually fared well at Petco Park in 2012 – with a 3 Slash Line of .272/.357/.812. He added 13 HRs and 51 RBI. He could potentially hit a few more out this season with the fences newly drawn in.
Bernie Olshansky (Baseball Writer): Follow @BernieOlshansky
For the past few seasons, Chase Headley has been the one guy on the roster that the San Diego Padres can rely on. Last year, he put up MVP-like numbers, hitting 31 HR and driving in 115 runs.
This year, he is really the only guy in the lineup that can truly produce runs. Yonder Alonso has that capability, but he is still a bit raw. Headley is signed to a one-year $8.58 million contract.
He becomes Arbitration-eligible in 2014 and is a Free Agent in 2015. The Padres are faced with a conundrum: should they trade Headley?
This third baseman is 28 years old—about the time when most players enter their prime. With the season we saw from Headley in 2012, I think it is safe to say that he has already entered his prime, and probably has two or three more years similar to 2012 ahead of him.
If the Padres are building for the future, which I sure hope they are, they need to trade Headley right away.
The Mets Should Call Up Zack Wheeler Right Now!
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday April.30, 2013

Zack Wheeer was brought to the Mets via Trade for Carlos Beltran. This 6 FT 4 – 185 LB Right Handed specimen was ranked #8 by Baseball America in 2013. Last year, Wheeler was 12 – 8,with a 3.26 ERA. He fanned 148 Batters in 149 Frames with Binghamton (EL) and Buffalo (IL) combined. This year he has struggled in the PCL with hitter friendly parks. Mets fans should not worry, the man can pitch.
Stephon Johnson ( Baseball Writer and Mets Correspondent): Follow @stephonjohnson8
Forget what you heard about his last few starts in Triple-A Las Vegas. It’s time for the New York Mets to bring up pitcher Zack Wheeler.
Forget about the 5.79 Earned Run Average in Triple-A or the 15 Walks in 23.1 Innings playing in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Wheeler needs his shot in Flushing and he needs it now…and so do Mets fans.
Who Owns Baseball – Updated Apr.29/2013
Giancarlo Stanton hit a pair of homers and delivered an RBI double as the Marlins got a very rare win.
Clayton Kershaw threw 8 shutout innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks as the Dodgers blanked the Brewers.
Yoenis Cespedes launched a game tying 9th inning homer in the A’s wild win over the Orioles.
Kevin Correia threw 8 shutout frames against the Texas Rangers giving the Twins a 5-0 victory.
They all owned baseball on April 28, 2013
My explanation for “Who Owns Baseball” can be found here.
At the end of the year, we will tally up who owned baseball the most individual days and see how it compares to the final MVP and Cy Young vote.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON
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The Miami Marlins Are Clearly The Worst Team In Baseball
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Sunday, April 28th, 2013

Nick Green, 34, has a career .303 OBP in the Majors. He has been forced into duty as the Marlins starting Shortstop with Adeiny Hechavarria on the DL. The Marlins continue to use journeyman Veteran players in many of their main positions. Along with the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, all of them are nearly on pace to lose 100 games this year. This Marlins team might even approach the 1962 Mets for the worst amount of defeats ALL – Time. This club is not doing well at the turnstiles either – drawing just 19600 fans to an MLB Park that is in just its second year (down almost 8 K fans per game from last year.)
By Sam Evans (Baseball Writer): Follow @RJA206
The 2013 Marlins are the most painful team in baseball to watch. With a lineup filled with washed up Major Leaguers – and young players struggling to keep their heads above water in the big league, the Marlins have struggled to score any runs this year. Despite having played 24 games, the club has only managed to hit 7 Home Runs.
The Miami Marlins are without a doubt the worst team in the MLB right now – and the 2013 season is going to be unfathomable experience for even the most optimistic Miami fan, but there are signs of hope in their youth.
MLB (R) Weekly Power Rankings – Week 2
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday Apr.15/2013

Billy Beane has seen his club roar out of the gates – leading in most offensive and defensive categories so far. This year’s team is 9 – 4 (Leading the AL West) – and have put up a 81 – 40 Record since starting last year 23 – 32. The Tigers seem to be the only toxic for the franchise. The Athletics at least played in front of decent crows at 0.co Coliseum on Saturday drawing 35K – with the team trying to go for a 10th straight win. Justin Verlander stopped the streak.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Well, the Atlanta Braves are the toast of the MLB right now, Prince Fielder is the hottest hitter on the planet, John Buck is doing his best Johnny Bench impersonation – while Chris Davis is giving new definition to the nickname ‘Crash’.
The Mets and Rockies have had the biggest ‘Cupcake Schedules’ thus far in the Major Leagues – and I am still not buying stock in these teams.
The Angels pulled out a couple of wins versus the Houston Astros to end the week 5 – 8 (You guys are supposed to beat Houston whenever you play them this year!
The Yankees rode a 4 – 1 week among a schedule that was blown apart by weather induced cancellations in Cleveland, to climb the standings.
To quote Joe Pesci in (‘ My Cousin Vinny” when Fred Gwynne tells him he is in contempt of court) in response to Jose Reyes being injured. ”There is a f—— surprise!
Miami Marlins Outfielder Austin Kearns Hospitalized
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Sunday, April 14th, 2013
By Sam Evans (Marlins Correspondent): Follow @RJA206
A few hours before the Marlins took on the Phillies Sunday afternoon, the news broke that Austin Kearns was being taken to the hospital for an irregular heartbeat. Kearns, 32, has been said to be doing just fine. Nonetheless, anytime an athlete still in their prime has heart problems it is a scary reminder of what can happen.
The injury-plagued Marlins now have two of their Outfielders, Kearns and Giancarlo Stanton, unable to play for the time being. For a team that is already struggling to be even close to mediocre, this is another defeating blow. Kearns will be hospitalized overnight as doctors attempt to figure out just what happened.
The Austin Kearns Story:
Game 1 Recap Of The Nats Big Opening Day Win – A Glimpse Of Things To Come
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Follow @mlbreportsTuesday, Apr.02/2013

Just as impressive as Harper 2 HRs yesterdayn- was Strasburg’s being unleashed on the world for a full season. His start featured an 80 pitch performance over 7 shutout IP. Strasburg didn’t even have his best command – falling behind 1-0 on 13 of the 23 batters he faced. He finished the day with only three Strikeouts, but no walks and giving up only 3 hits.
By David Huzzard (Nationals Correspondent via Citizens of Natstown.com – view website here): Follow @davidhuzzard
Seeing Stephen Strasburg picked to win the Cy Young should come as no surprise to anyone. He did finish 2012 tied with Gio Gonzalez for the best FIP in the majors at 2.82 – and led all starters with a staggering 11.13 K/9. There are arguments that can be made that when Stephen Strasburg is firing on all cylinders - he is the best pitcher in the NL and among the best on the planet.
The same argument cannot be made for Bryce Harper as an Outfielder. Based on stats last year, he finished seventh in the NL in fWAR and tied for eighth in wOBA with Jay Bruce and Garrett Jones.
No one is picking Jay Bruce or Garrett Jones for their MVP. In all of the NL Bryce Harper‘s .352 wOBA ranked sixteenth.
Bryce Harper 2 HR Performance On Opening Day – MLB Reports does not own anything from this video:
Miami Marlins – Updated State of the Union: The Hitters and Pitchers
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Follow @mlbreportsSaturday, March 16, 2013

In 2013, the Marlins will have an all to familiar feeling of being a team waiting to grow up around in a division of championship contenders. Hopefully this is the exception and not the rule for the Miami club.
In December, we took a look at Miami moving forward after the now infamous salary dump of the Winter of ’12. Living in South Florida, its been an interesting off-season to discuss baseball with those who care about the sport. Some believe that the trade was a positive baseball move, others think it was another in a long line of for profit motivated transactions by a team whose reputation is for that type of maneuver.
In either case, with opening day approximately three (3) weeks ahead of us, it is now time to move on from the trade and examine to a greater degree what the 2013 season holds for the Miami franchise.
As with the past article, we will start with Giancarlo Stanton. Statistically, we have spent a large portion of time discussing Stanton’s strengths. He is an elite power presence in the middle of the Marlins lineup. I won’t spend time re-hashing the statistics that we have already went over. I do think its important to point out a few things that may effect Stanton’s output this year.
Giancarlo Stanton: Stuck In Miami
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Follow @mlbreportsSatuday, March 16.2013

Giancarlo Stanton had 37 HRs in 2012 in only 123 Games which was 2nd most in the NL. Even more impressive, he averaged a true distance of 413 ft on those 37 dingers, coming off that bat at an average speed of 107.2 MPH. He also hit the longest Home Run in 2012 at 494 FT(true distance or about 95.5 Altuves if you use that measurement).
By Ryan Dana (MLB Reports Writer): Follow @ryandana1
Normally Miami is a desirable destination, but playing for their Major League Baseball team, the Miami Marlins, might be the one time it is not. It’s amazing how things have changed in the past year. Around this time in 2012 the Marlins moved into a brand new ballpark and opened up their wallets to sign big name free agents Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Heath Bell.
Now all 3 players have been traded, along with Marlins stars Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, Josh Johnson, and other solid players like Omar Infante, Emilio Bonifacio, and John Buck. The Marlins traded away nearly all significant contracts and veteran talent to rebuild. That is not what the fans in Miami wanted, and certainly not something their lone remaining star Giancarlo Stanton would find desirable.
Giancarlo Stanton, the Marlins Right Fielder, is just 23 years of age, but his ability is on the baseball field is far beyond most players of his age. Stanton is 6’5” and weighs in around 245 lbs. He is about as intimidating a hitter as you will find. These days baseball talent evaluators will argue over the importance of how a player looks on the field, and what numbers are attached to their play.
There is no debating that Stanton is a top talent in both senses. He is a stud athlete who received offers to play for top colleges in his home state of California in both baseball and football, but he opted to go pro after being drafted by Miami (then Florida) in the 2nd round of the ’07 draft.
2012 Giancarlo Stanton Highlights – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is advised:
Ricky Nolasco: Should Marlins Deal Him Or Keep Him For 2013?
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Tuesday March 5th, 2013

Nolasco might be the next guy to be traded for more prospects. The man has a Career Record of 76 – 64 (.543) with a lifetime ERA of 4.49 in 7 seasons for the Marlins. However, despite a higher ERA – he does not walk that many hitters (2.1 BB / Per 9 IP) – and his SO Ratio is 7.4 / Per 9 IP. He might be able to help a team that is playoff bound in 2013. The Marlins will not offer him a 1 YR Free Agent deal to retain a Draft Pick – so it is either deal him or lose him for nothing at the end of the campaign.
Bernie Olshansky (Baseball Writer): Follow @BernieOlshansky
The Miami Marlins are in a state of disrepair. 2012 was meant to be their return to contention with the signings of Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Heath Bell. A healthy Hanley Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton were meant to provide power to the lineup that supported the pitching staff anchored by Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco.
The excitement of the new-look team combined with the anticipation of the new stadium. Unfortunately, the Marlins had a terrible season and shipped Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers, and every notable player except Giancarlo Stanton and Ricky Nolasco to the Blue Jays, most notably.
Ricky Nolasco Warming Up:
Ranking the Top 10 Hitters In The MLB Right Now: Part 2 (6-10)
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Follow @mlbreportsBelow is Part 2 of the Top 10 hitters in baseball. You can read Part 1 here.
Tuesday February.26, 2013

Cano has only missed 7 games in the last 4 years. He has hit over .300 in those seasons – belted 40 + Doubles and scored over 100 Runs. He has averaged 29 HRs and 102 RBI also for that span. The man has won 3 straight Silver Slugger Awards. Cano’s Career 3 Slash Line is .308/.361/.854. With this being a contract year, he could stand to land himself a historic contract with an MVP type season. Picture by Keith Allison, Flicker.com
By Jake Dal Porto (Baseball Writer) Follow @thejakeman24
The top hitters in the MLB right now includes 5 awesome hitters. It was hard to comprise the list, but here it is.
Robinson Cano is in line for a huge payday after this season, and his numbers can justify his demands.
OK, Yankee stadium partially inflates his power numbers. Cano had a 59.3 HR/FB (Home Run to fly ball ratio) to Right Field, which is quite a figure seeing that the mean for baseball’s best power hitters is in the 20 percent range, to all fields.
It’s safe to say that Cano grasped the idea of the infamous shorter porch in Right Field, and who wouldn’t? On he same token, that shouldn’t give us the wrong idea about his power. According to ESPN’s Hittracker Online, Cano was eighth in the American League with nine “no doubt” Home runs, telling us that his power isn’t solely due to the friendly hitter confines of Yankee Stadium.
The thing is, there’s more to his game then Home runs. He had the fifth highest oWAR (Offensive WAR) in baseball last year, and finished eighth in the MLB in Adjusted OPS+.
Given the dearth amount of talent at Second Base these days, Cano could be in line for a 8-year, $200+ Million contract next winter.
Robinson Cano at the 2011 Home Run Derby:
Miami Marlins Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Forward
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday, February.18/2013

The Marlins will start year 2 of their ball park with about 33% of their 2012 Team Salary. They essentially have traded away every veteran over the course of last season and then in the winter. They go to camp with a lot of prospects, some re-treads and a lot of broken promises to their fans.
By Nicholas Rossoletti (MLB Reports Trade Correspondent): Follow @NRoss56
Welcome to Miami, home to sunshine, beautiful people and a unique multicultural atmosphere. Miami is not home, however, to a big market baseball team. For years the Marlins have attempted to fake it to make it. The team would build its payroll towards a single season where the front office felt like it could compete for a world championship. Then, regardless of result, the Marlins would break up the team, sell the pieces for as much value as was offered and rebuild towards another season when a championship hope seemed realistic. So the Miami Marlins, their fans, their brand new stadium enter 2013 in a very similar situation. In 2012, the team took a shot at competing by spending money on several free agents. I’ve written in detail about why that didn’t work and what the fans can look forward to in the future. In 2013, the payroll will be once again be amongst the lowest in baseball.
As with our past looks at payroll we will start with the high-end of the Miami payroll. You will notice that one of these is not like the other.
Giancarlo Stanton Highlights 2012 – Mature Lyrics so parental guidance is advised:
The Miami Marlins: State Of The Union for 2013 Part 1: The Hitters
Thursday, December.6, 2012

Giancarlo Stanton led the National League in Slugging Percentage with a .608 clip in 2012, amidst 37 HRs and 86 RBI in just 449 AB. In order for a quick rebuild, they must sign this slugger to a long-term contract. Question is, will he want to sign with a newly depleted roster?
Nicholas Rossoletti (Guest Baseball Writer and Marlins Correspondent): Follow @NRoss56
Coming into the 2012 season, the Miami Marlins were entering a new stage in their franchise history. The City of Miami had graciously (and according to some residents, foolishly) provided the organization with a new 600 million dollar home in the New Marlins Ball Park. The franchise changed its name to Miami instead of Florida, its colors and albeit briefly, its spending habits in the free agent market. The Marlins decided to build on the foundation of Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, Ricky Nolasco, Omar Infante, Gaby Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton. As most know, when building a championship contender it is of crucial importance that the foundation is solid. This foundation was anything but. Despite the numerous question marks surrounding a Marlins team that won 72 games in 2011, the Marlins went out and spent money in the Free Agent market in a way that had not been seen in South Florida since 1997.
The organization placed expensive brick after expensive brick on top of this foundation refusing to see the glaring cracks developing across the surface. The ace, Josh Johnson, was coming off a shoulder injury that cost him all but 60 innings in 2011. The star offensive player, Ramirez, had not produced at “star” level in two seasons. Ramirez had produced back to back seasons of adding 7 wins to the team in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, Ramirez posted a WAR of 4.6 and in 2011 a WAR of 1.3. At best, Hanley was a player with huge question marks. Needless to say, it was a strange decision to spend money to add to this group instead of questioning whether this group should be sold off for spare parts and the foundation re-poured. We all know how this ended. In another excruciating fire sale by the franchise who knows little else. And now we are left, the residents of South Florida with a monstrous stadium, an eyesore of a statute in Centerfield and little hope for the future…. or are we?
MLB Should Distribute More Games Against All Teams For Every Club
Thursday, Nov.29/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I wrote an article about 6 months ago that investigated a solution to a Payroll/Geographical Alignment that the MLB should consider in going forward for the next CBA discussions in 2016 here. Let’s be real and this will never happen. The idea of running any drastic re-alignment is probably too much for the folks at MLB to fathom. However, there is a growing trend that is starting to rear its ugly head in MLB Baseball. It is the bigger market teams really starting to throw down some serious dollars, while the lesser revenue teams can’t keep up with same kind of salary influx. Of course I have fought this fight on Twitter, Facebook and any other social media platform I have found. Sooner or later these big salaried teams will reel off a bunch of World Series Titles amongst themselves and it will leave the MLB having as much competitive balance as the NBA. Read the rest of this entry
A Fishy Problem In Miami: What Do The Marlins Do With Giancarlo Stanton?
Thursday November 22nd, 2012
Jake Dal Porto: Giancarlo Stanton isn’t the only human being that’s furious over the Marlins recent transactions which most notably saw them deal Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle to the Blue Jays. Or in English, Miami just betrayed their fans and players. While the fans do matter, you would have to think that Stanton’s words have a bit more meaning than any other figure or figures.
And Stanton is not pleased. He sounded off on his twitter account a little over a week ago, saying that “he’s pissed off”. The slugger doesn’t have to say much more. Perhaps the next words out of his mouth could be a trade request. That isn’t too far-fetched at this point either, and the idea is something that Miami’s management should highly consider in coming weeks.
At the moment, there’s no wrong choice in terms of trading Stanton or retaining him. The fans are already peeved off, and trading their cornerstone piece probably wouldn’t change he fans’ state of mind. Read the rest of this entry





































