If the Marlins are to be buyers at the trade deadline, there are several needs that could be addressed.
As of two weeks ago, most of the focus centered on center field and catcher. Why? I don't know.
Cody Ross has been enormously productive out in CF, and his defense has been adequate enough. The Marlins have been rumored to covet Wily Taveras (the organization has always liked those speedy leadoff types), but that would be an obvious downgrade. Stick with Ross.
As for catchers, why are the Marlins even paying attention to David Ross or Paul Lo Duca? Those guys are NOT GOOD. Why not give John Baker a chance to prove himself, and Matt Treanor has been superb defensively. Whatever it costs, these other catchers aren't worth it.
Where do the Marlins really need help? The bullpen! Once the team's strongest asset, it's now the most undependable assortment of garbage outside of that huge Turnpike landfill. Is there anyone the team can count on? It's gotten so bad, the Marlins have been sending guys like Matt Lindstrom and Logan Kensing down to AAA, replacing them with (gulp) Eulugio de la Cruz. A couple reliable acquisitions could make a world of difference.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Marlins Trade Wishes
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Kevin Gregg = LVP of the Week
The Marlins were swept by the Dodgers today, their fragile grip on the NL East lead slipping. It was another close game, in which Badenhop pitched surprisingly well, but the bullpen (yes, that bullpen Buster Olney praised today) coughed up the second game of the series.
Actually, it would be unfair to lay the blame on the entire bullpen when there was one culprit: Kevin Gregg. For the second time in three games, Fredi Gonzalez chose Gregg for the top of the 9th in a tie game. He lost both attempts.
The control problems that have plagued him all season finally came back to bite him. He opened the inning by walking Rafael Furcal, a move the Dodgers announcers jubilantly described as the cardinal sin (especially for a player of Furcal's speed). A Juan Pierre sac bunt and Matt Kemp bloop single later, and it was 4-3 Dodgers. Misplays in the field made it 5-3, but Gregg had already done his damage.
Is it time to consider replacing Gregg? Renyel Pinto has probably been the most dependable, but his wildness is also disconcerting. Perhaps Matt Lindstrom or Justin Miller?
When I watched Saito hurl some filthy stuff by the Fish hitters to close the game, I knew the definition of a real closer. A real closer doesn't walk the leadoff hitter, that's for sure.