Reyes + half the Marlins team to Toronto

[MFS62]

bmfc1 wrote: Jose's agents didn't ask for a no-trade clause or a clause allowing him to reject certain teams?

You are Jose Reyes...you spent the first part of your career in New York City, made a nice name for yourself and parlayed that into a contract that made you one of the wealthiest human beings on the planet, AND gave you easy access to the south beach lifestyle. You are turning 30 next year and are now being shipped to Toronto.
In Miami (with its large Latin-American population) you could be king.
In Toronto, you will be just another foreign shortstop with the Canadian equivalent of a green card.
How do you think he feels?

Later

[G-Fafif]

Except for a couple of postseasons, I've never had much use for the Marlins, but on some level I wanted them to succeed as a going concern because I thought it spoke badly for baseball that it couldn't take root in Miami. But fuck that now. Move the franchise to somewhere somebody will care and let it be run by something less than a bloodless megalomaniac.

[ashie62]

Another shining moment for all the money in pro sports.

I guess anyone can be dumped..hear that Johan?

Jose in Canada? wtf lol

[Ceetar]

G-Fafif wrote: Except for a couple of postseasons, I've never had much use for the Marlins, but on some level I wanted them to succeed as a going concern because I thought it spoke badly for baseball that it couldn't take root in Miami. But fuck that now. Move the franchise to somewhere somebody will care and let it be run by something less than a bloodless megalomaniac.

I always thought it spoke badly for Miami.

[Frayed Knot]

It speaks badly for those running the franchise in Miami.
Not that I think south Florida will ever be the greatest sports town in America (them, Atlanta & Houston are always going to be amongst the weakest IMO) but you can't play in a stadium ill-suited for the area & sport for 20 years and run the team like shit for most of that same time period, then expect to find immediate success simply because someone bought you a shiny new crib.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: It speaks badly for those running the franchise in Miami. Not that I think south Florida will ever be the greatest sports town in America (them, Atlanta & Houston are always going to be amongst the weakest IMO) but you can't play in a stadium ill-suited for the area & sport for 20 years and run the team like shit for most of that same time period, then expect to find immediate success simply because someone bought you a shiny new crib.

the Marlins had some good season though, and it's still baseball. The old place wasn't hard to get to. They packed it for the WBC. hell, it was even energetic. But I guess the fanbase thinks the WBC is of higher import than most Marlins games?

[Guest cooby]

Ashie62 wrote: Jose in Canada? wtf lol

God love him.

[Frayed Knot]

The Marlins have had two good post-seasons.
Other than that, they've topped 80 wins just six times in twenty seasons, 85 wins only three of them, and are still division title-less despite the two WS wins.

But I'm not even talking about on-field success. It's about the way several ownerships now have treated the team and, by extension, the fan base. First Huizenga saw the team as just another one of his typical pump-then-dump assets before a series of interim mis-steps led to Loria who seems to be mysteriously coddled within MLB circles although I'm not sure why.
And I'm fine with blaming MLB for expanding there in the first place without a better stadium/ownership in place, but you can't go and tear down your (mostly free) stadium-induced restructuring plan after one year because you're shocked that fans didn't flock to your park after 19 years of mostly indifference if not flat-out abuse. Do they really expect that result of this makeover is going to make it all different? And even if they did why would the peeps in south Florida believe it?

[Edgy MD]

MFS62 wrote: bmfc1 wrote: Jose's agents didn't ask for a no-trade clause or a clause allowing him to reject certain teams? You are Jose Reyes...you spent the first part of your career in New York City, made a nice name for yourself and parlayed that into a contract that made you one of the wealthiest human beings on the planet, AND gave you easy access to the south beach lifestyle. You are turning 30 next year and are now being shipped to Toronto. In Miami (with its large Latin-American population) you could be king. In Toronto, you will be just another foreign shortstop with the Canadian equivalent of a green card. How do you think he feels? Later

There are plenty of Caribbeans in Toronto. It's one of the most international cities on earth.

[Edgy MD]

So now they have Stanton, a bobblehead museum, and a couple of tanks full of fish. And fish food ain't free.

On the other hand, they get Yunel Escobar, and he's Cuban. And the comely Minerva Escobar comes with the trade too, I think. So there's that. Marlins win!!

[Edgy MD]

Oh, and maintaining our death grip on fourth place... looks totally do-able!

[metirish]

I think I would rather live in Toronto than Miami ......not sure if Jose will care for the turf there....still, should be playing to big crowds , great city etc.

[Frayed Knot]

Jeff Mathis © also headed to Miami in the I suppose not-yet-official deal. I hadn't heard his name initially.



John Sickels' take on the prospects involved.

Adeiny Hechavarria, SS:
-- signed by the Blue Jays from Cuba in 2010, Hechavarria is a 5-11, 180 pound right-handed hitter and thrower, born April 15, 1989. Renowned for his defensive skills, he features above-average range and a very strong throwing arm.
His bat draws mixed reviews. He hit .312/.363/.424 in 102 games for Triple-A Las Vegas this year, but just .254/.280/.365 in 126 at-bats for the Blue Jays, with four walks and 32 strikeouts. Poor plate discipline is his biggest issue, though it looked like he was making some progress in that department before being promoted to the majors.

Jake Marisnick, OF:
-- drafted in the third round in 2009, from high school in Riverside, California. He is a right-handed hitter and thrower, born March 30, 1991. His physical tools are first-class, with premium athleticism, good speed, a strong arm, and a chance to hit for power.
His glove is ahead of the bat at this point. He hit .263/.349/.451 in 266 at-bats for High-A Dunedin this year, but just .233/.286/.336 in 223 at-bats for Double-A New Hampshire. He stole 24 bases, but a hyper-aggressive approach cut too much into his hitting skills against advanced pitching. Marisnick has the physical tools to be a star, but the skills are still quite raw.

Justin Nicolino, LHP:
-- drafted in the second round in 2010, from high school in Orlando, Florida. A 6-3, 190 pound lefty, he was born November 22, 1991. His 2012 season was excellent: 10-4, 2.46 with a 119/21 K/BB in 124 innings for Low-A Lansing in the Midwest League.
Nicolino works with an 88-92 MPH fastball that he locates with precision. He has an excellent changeup, and his curveball is also solid, giving him three pitches to conquer hitters with. Command and control are his best attributes, and he projects as a number three starter if all goes well.

Anthony DeSclafani, RHP:
-- drafted by the Jays in the sixth round in 2011, from the University of Florida. A 6-2, 195 pound right-hander, he was born April 18, 1990. He had a decent year alongside Nicolino in the Lansing rotation, going 11-3, 3.37 with a 92/25 K/BB ratio in 123 innings, allowing 145 hits. He got a lot of ground balls, with a 1.88 GO/AO and just three homers allowed.
Mainly a reliever in college, he was moved to the rotation as a pro to build up his innings and work on his secondary pitches. DeSclafani works with a low-90s fastball, mixing in a slider, curveball, and changeup. His control is good and he keeps the ball down, but he's hittable when he misses his spots.

JS -- The Marlins got some decent prospects here, although none of them are sure things. Hechavarria and Marisnick have loud tools, but their hitting skills are questionable. Nicolino is one of the best southpaw prospects in baseball, and he's a good pickup, while DeSclafani adds more depth to a farm system that really needs it.

[Guest Kong76]

The first thing I did this morning was go on the internet and
make sure I didn't dream this. I can't stop laughing.

[metsmarathon]

wow. just wow. i mean, i can't help but feel bad for miami, i suppose. and though the outcome was seemingly inevitable, the swiftness of it all is just appalling.

i'm glad the jays made out well. hopefully the back-loaded contracts won't prove too onerous for them, and they can make some hay in the al east. i'm now free to root for jose reyes again. yay!

also, i think the wilpon family should send a nice fruit basket to the loria compound, to thank them sincerely for providing a counterpoint to all the claims of them being the worst owners imaginable. fuck the wilpons, but at least they're not jeffrey loria.

[Edgy MD]

It's worth mentioning that the last two times the Marlins dumped contracts and lived on austerity budgets while rebuilding, they rebuilt well and more quickly than expected.

[Ceetar]

RT @LoMoMarlins hey @JonHeymanCBS I just read that we got mathematically eliminated from the 2013 playoffs. Is that true?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I do like that I have the option of rooting for JoseJoseJoseJose AND against the MFYs simultaneously a bunch of times a year (maybe even in person, if someone else is paying).

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Jos-eh?

[Benjamin Grimm]

I posted this mini-quiz on the UMDB Facebook page:

Jose Reyes spent many years with the Mets, signed as a free agent with the Marlins and now, after a single season, appears to be about to become a Toronto Blue Jay. That's the same career path that Carlos Delgado experienced, only in reverse order. There are eight other players, all pitchers, who played for the Mets, Marlins, and Blue Jays. How many can you name?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I posted this mini-quiz on the UMDB Facebook page: Jose Reyes spent many years with the Mets, signed as a free agent with the Marlins and now, after a single season, appears to be about to become a Toronto Blue Jay. That's the same career path that Carlos Delgado experienced, only in reverse order. There are eight other players, all pitchers, who played for the Mets, Marlins, and Blue Jays. How many can you name?

Al Leiter

[Edgy MD]

Armando Benitez threw a few games with Toronto on the butt end of his career.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Leiter and Benitez are correct.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Buncha Latin relievers, no doubt.

[Edgy MD]

Heath Bell, someday soon.

[seawolf17]

Toby Borland?

[Edgy MD]

Guys who should be correct answers to this but somehow aren't: Braden Looper, Mike Stanton, Manny Aybar.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

That doesn't necessarily mean that Felix Heredia is a wrong answer however.

[seawolf17]

I can think of guys who did two (Weathers Mets/Marlins, Person Mets/Jays), but I can't place either of those guys on the third team, as much as I want to.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Weathers was a Blue Jay as well as a Met and a Marlin.

Felix Heredia is a correct answer.