Rumors for Florida Marlins
Amnesty Clause in MLB-NL East
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The last stop on our tour around the Big Leagues is the NL East.
NL EAST
Braves- The Braves presented an interesting situation as they were able to trade Derek Lowe away this summer to the Indians, who was probably their only really bad contract. You could focus on Chipper Jones and his deal but I think he will have a solid year. What isn’t a secret is the fact that the Braves need offense. That’s why Matt Diaz and the $2mm left on his deal come to mind. Yes it is only $2mm, but if you free up his money and scrape the piggy bank a bit, you could possibly have enough to sign free agent Johnny Damon. Damon who is looking for more something in the range of $3-$5mm is also looking for significant at-bats as he continues his pursuit of 3,000 hits (currently at 2,723) He would be an easy upgrade in the outfield.
Marlins- After spending the most money this offseason next to the Angels, the Marlins still have a few holes that need to be filled before they can take the next step to be considered a legitimate contender. To free some money up, say $12mm over the next two-years, John Buck could be amnestied. I know I am jumping the gun a bit with him as last season was his first in the NL, but his career numbers are .241 avg, .303 OBP and .412 SLG. I didn’t like his contract when the Marlins signed him prior to last season as I thought he was cashing in on one good season and six below average ones.
Mets- The Mets presented two candidates with the likes of Jason Bay and Johan Santana. Both players are signed through 2013 with team options for ‘14. Santana will make about $24-25mm each season while Bay will make $16mm each season. But I believe Santana could come back and contribute towards the end of this season and help the team next year. Bay on the other hand has flat out stunk in his two years in New York hitting .251 and putting up only 18 home runs.
Phillies- This decision may not sit well with some, but hear me out. I would use the amnesty clause to get rid of Ryan Howard and his five-year $125mm deal. In eight seasons with the Phillies, Howard has a career .275 avg and has only one season where he hit .300 or above. The last two seasons, his OBP, SLG and OPS have all dropped with his SLG and OPS last year being the lowest of his career (SLG .488 and OPS .835). Howard will make $20-$25mm in each season of the deal and will miss the beginning of the upcoming season as he rehabs from a full tear in his Achilles’ Tendon. The Phillies would instantly have financial flexibility which allow them to easily resign Cole Hamels who is set to be a free agent after the season.
Nationals- As hard a decision Howard was to amnesty, the Nationals’ selection in Jayson Werth is the complete opposite. Unlike Howard who I think can and is the focal point of the Phillies offense (though he is declining), Werth is better suited as a fifth hitter protecting others in the line-up. As the focal point in the line-up last season for the Nats, he hit .232 with 20 home runs and 58 RBIs. He is set to make $112mm over the next six seasons and has a full no-trade clause.
Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Athletics sign Yoenis Cespedes
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The Oakland Athletics have signed Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to a four-year deal worth $36mm pending a physical (should take pace in 1-2 weeks), Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports. Cespedes will earn $6.5mm this year, $8.5mm in 2013, and $10.5mm in 2014 and 2015 (Contract info provided by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). The deal sets the table for Cespedes to potentially start the season in Oakland. The outfielder can become a free agent when his contract expires. Peter Gammons of MLB network adds that Cespedes representatives felt “the A’s wanted him more than anyone else.”
Cespedes is a 6-0, 215-pound center fielder that is considered to be a “five tool” player.
The Marlins had recently made Cespedes an offer last week when he went to Miami to visit tour the new ballpark and were considered by many to be the favorites. The deal was believed to be $36mm for six-years (contract info provided by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports).
Image taken by Nclout and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
PRO Rumors Scouting Report: Adonis Garcia
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After making his professional debut in Venezuela this past winter season, Adonis Garcia a Cuban defector is waiting to sign with an MLB organization to begin his journey down the road of becoming a Major Leaguer. For those of who haven’t had the opportunity to watch him play (which is probably most everyone), and haven’t heard a lot about him, I’m going to give you a quick and dirty scouting report.
Garcia, is a right handed outfielder with a strong, athletic, although not limber body. Defensively, he is not very fast and he usually takes poor routes to chase down fly balls. When he gets to the ball he elects to field the ball the hardest way possible. Every fly ball with him is like a Stephen King novel. His footwork is awful when fielding the ball as nothing is smooth with him. He doesn’t position himself correctly when fielding, so he losses a lot of time between catching the ball and getting rid of it and atop of that, his arm isn’t very strong either.
He’s not a fast guy, but he won’t be the slowest guy on the team. Offensively he has the tools to become an above average Major League hitter. He is a pure hitter who makes a lot of contact and has quick hands that allows him to drive the ball to the gaps. He has great bat speed, so it seems like the ball jumps off his bat when he hits. If you analyze his swing you could see how he uses his small muscles (wrists, forearms) to trigger his bigger muscles (biceps, hips). He also has raw power, so he can deliver the long ball every once in a while. If developed correctly, he could be a 15-20 HR’s hitter in the Majors. His downside offensively is his plate discipline. He rarely takes a walk, and he is not the kind of hitter who will wear down a pitcher.
His makeup doesn’t seem bad either. He’s always focused in the game, and he is a tough competitor. Even though his defense betrayed him several times this season, he was always on top of things. He also seemed like a hard worker, or at least that’s the impression he left here in Venezuela. You could say, to quote some of the old scouts, that he has “the good face.”
In conclusion, I don’t believe Garcia is going to be a superstar in the Major Leagues, but he could establish himself as an average player. He definitely has to work on his defense, but I believe that with hard work and dedication he will become a better fielder, although never a Gold Glove caliber fielder. By working on his plate discipline, Garcia might have the chance to be a quality bat in any lineup. If he’s able to take more pitches and employ a better pitch selection, he could be able to hit above average and also hit for power. If he can hit like he has done so far in his career, a switch to first base or a full-time DH would be more likely if he continues to struggle in the field.
Image by HablamosBeisbol.net
Giants sign Clay Hensley
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The San Francisco Giants have signed reliever Clay Hensley to a one-year deal, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Hensley will make a base salary of $750k with a possible $300k in incentives, but the deal is not guaranteed. This means that Hensley will have to earn a spot in the bullpen out of Spring Training.
Last year with the Marlins, Hensley posted a 5.19 era and 6.1 k/9 in 67 2/3 innings. Hensley also made $1.4mm last season.
Image taken by SD Dirk and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
PRO Rumors Android app version 1.0 is available
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Hello PRO Rumors fans,
We are proud to announce that our PRO Rumors Android app version 1.0 is available on the Android Market. We spent a lot of time on the app’s design and functionality, and we are sure that you’ll love it. To download the app for an introductory price of $2.99 you can click here.
Here are a few features:
– Push Notifications to get the latest news and rumors for your favorite MLB team
– Pulse-like view of articles – it’s beautiful
– Real-time scoreboard
– Real-time box scores of in-game action
We’re working hard to add more features, so if you have any questions or feature requests, please send an email to support@prorumors.com. We promise to write you back.
Allan
Cubs to trade Carlos Zambrano to Marlins
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The Chicago Cubs have agreed to trade Carlos Zambrano to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Chris Volstad, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports. The deal is pending a physical.
Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel adds that the deal is not finalized, but the Marlins have agreed to pick up $2.5 million of Zambrano’s $18 million salary for 2012.
Zambrano went 9-7 with a 4.82 ERA last season with the Cubs. Zambrano appeared on his way out of Chicago as he was suspended twice by the team for his actions and comments.
Back in October, Zambrano first made it known that he wanted to join Ozzie Guillen down in Miami during a radio interview.
Image by Barbara Moore under the Creative Commons License.
Marlins sign Greg Dobbs to two-year deal
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The Miami Marlins have signed Greg Dobbs to a two-year $3mm deal, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. Dobbs will earn $1.5mm in each season.
Last year while playing all four of the corner positions, Dobbs posted a .275 avg in 439 plate appearances with a .311 OBP. Dobbs earned $600k last season or about $5,309 per hit (113 hits).
Image taken by Shannon Lammond and used under the Creative Commons License Agreement.
Happy Holidays from the PRO Rumors team
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From all of us at PRO Rumors, we’d like to wish you all a Happy Holidays! We hope that all of your holiday wishes (and your baseball wishes) have come true!
Nationals pushing hard for Gio Gonzalez
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The Washington Nationals are pushing hard for Oakland Athletics’ pitcher Gio Gonzalez, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Heyman adds that the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins and New York Yankees are also interested in the pitcher.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Several teams interested in Roy Oswalt
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Although nothing appears imminent with Roy Oswalt, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says that the Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins have interest in the veteran pitcher.
Image by Matthew Straubmuller under the Creative Commons License.
