And if Mike Lowell doesn’t remember how to hit….they can demote him to Lowell!
The Red Sox and Marlins have come to a tentative agreement on a trade that would send Josh Beckett (above) and Mike Lowell to Florida for shortstop Hanley Ramirez, top pitching prospect Anibal Sanchez and another minor leaguer.
No announcement is expected Monday and the deal is contingent on the finalization of paperwork and all players passing physicals, sources outside the Red Sox organization have told ESPN’s Peter Gammons.
Where’s Bowie Kuhn to break this kind of thing up?
This is more like a garage sale than a fire sale. You don’t even need a gm to trade with the marlins! Next up: Delgado dealt to the miami police force! Seriously though, they turned down Blalock and Danks for this? I’m glad I’m not a marlins fan.
Blalock is highly overrated (though not by the Marlins) – check out his home/away numbers – Take him out of Texas and he is Mike Lowell (without the gold glove)
Woah, there, what’s all this talk about an uneven trade? The Sox farm system is one of the better ones (Anibel Sanchez and Hanley Ramirez being two of the highest-rated prospects) and Florida gets to dump that albatross of a contract to Mike Lowell. Florida is supposedly freeing up moneys to sign the D-Train long term. Yes, if the Sox had given them Jon Lester, then it’d be an even better trade for the Marlins, but Sanchez is supposed to be a star in the making and Hanley Ramirez might make the roster in 2006 (and the Sox have nowhere to put him with Renteria signed for 3 more years). This could actually work out pretty well for the Marlins, but it would take a knowledgeable baseball fan to know that. Blalock: overrated.
There’s a couple of ways of looking at this.
I can understand why this deal was more attractive to the Marlins given they would’ve just traded Blalock right away — and perhaps not received someone of Sanchez or Ramirez’ caliber in return. And I suppose Florida deserves credit for getting rid of Lowell, finding someone who’d absorb 100% of his salary and getting anything in return.
But the dumping of Beckett (soon to be followed by Delgado and/or Lo Duca) is what stinks if you’re one of the Marlins’ handful of fans. Talk of freeing up dough to lock up Willis or Cabrera sounds reasonable, except what reason is there to believe both of those guys won’t be traded for prospects in two years’ time? Given Florida’s habit of entering a rebuilding mode every few years, why should Willis or Cabrera ignore free agency?
Sanchez and Ramirez could well be stars. Blisters aside (and constant trips to the DL are no small consideration, I’ll grant you), Josh Beckett is a star right now. Gold Glove or not, Lowell wasn’t a throw-in : he’s the reason Florida weren’t able to get greater value for Beckett.
If this deal were an isolated case, I doubt there’d be so much screaming. But combined with the Delgado/Lo Duca rumors and the franchise’s history of blowing up competitive teams, that sort of adds to the vibe.
Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio was grousing this afternoon about the lack of fan support in Miami — I didn’t stick around long enough to hear Dan Le Batard continue on a similar theme, but in defense of all those invisible Fish fans :
a) some of ’em are still pissed about the ’98 fire sale
b) their stadium sucks
c) they’ve had 3 ownership groups in a relatively brief spell
d) ownership’s public flirtations with Las Vegas aren’t exactly a great way to sell season tickets (in Miami, anyway).
e) no right thinking individual wants to be responsible for putting money in Todd Jones’ pocket.
Here’s the most interesting phrase of the day: “pending a physical.” Does Florida know something we don’t, and are they trying to get two very good young talents in exchange for a pitcher who’s not always healthy? I saw PTI today and both of them were down on the Marlins for having their twice-a-decade fire sales. Here’s the thing, though: they’ve won two World Series this way. They spend the cash, win a series, then cash in their chips for younger talent that will help them win it again in a few years. Seems to me that teams like the Giants or the Cubs, who contend every year, could take a page from the Marlins, here. This in no way excuses the fact that Miami is a wretched sports town (much like LA, but worse somehow) but I don’t think their various ownership groups have gotten enough credit for winning those two series while competing well in a market that includes the Mets and the Braves.
I don’t think Lowell’s or Beckett’s past health problems are a secret to anyone. A physical is pretty routine especially in off-season deals. No one is trying to pull a ‘Sirotka’ here.
Beckett’s blisters are common knowledge…and frustrating as hell to the marlins, obviously.
if I’m loathe to give Mr. Loria enough credit for his fine work in Miami, that’s just because I’m afraid Dale Torborg will unleash The Demon on me.