Critics already have begun sharpening their knives. Recent trades have signaled yet another Miami Marlins fire sale — just like the ones after the 1997 and 2003 championship seasons that were voraciously ripped by fans and media in South Florida. It will gall them all the more that this is happening just months after a new stadium, paid for by the taxpayers, was erected.
But there is a big difference between what the organization did to itself after those two World Series titles and what it is doing now. Yes, the Marlins traded star third baseman Hanley Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the wee hours Wednesday morning. Still just 28, Ramirez is a loss.
But he also can be a handful — an unhappy, sulking player who takes all sleights personally and has had people in his own organization publicly question his effort. At shortstop, Ramirez was one of the best offensive players in the sport between 2007 and 2009. But after a solid 2010 that ended prematurely because of an elbow injury, he hasn’t been the same player. Ramirez had an injury-plagued 2011 (career-low .712 OPS), and 2012 has been an outright disaster.
Miami signed star free agent Jose Reyes to play shortstop last winter and pushed Ramirez to third base, a position he had never played and a spot where his weakening bat is even more exposed. He ranks 12th among big league third baseman in OPS (.749). A six-year contract extension still has two years and $31.5 million left on it. After almost seven seasons with the Marlins, Ramirez and the club needed a change.
But “fire sale” is a loaded word that implies stripping the big league club of talent. Yet the other major deal — No. ?3 starter Anibal Sanchez, a free agent this winter, and second baseman Omar Infante were sent to Detroit — is just a good baseball move. In return, Miami received Jacob Turner, 21, a right-handed pitching prospect ESPN rated No. 37 overall in a midseason ranking; catcher Rob Brantly, 23; and left-handed pitcher Brian Flynn, 22. It’s good value for players who can be replaced and nowhere near the roster demolition we have seen from the Marlins in the past.
– Brian McNally
