Buster Olney of ESPN recently mentioned that the Marlins were more than interested in holding onto Josh Johnson until the Marlins fall out of contention in 2010. This seems like a viable ploy, even though I do not feel the Marlins will attempt to field a competitive team despite this overture.
Over the weekend though, I read this number from Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Here’s the pertinent quote:
Don’t dismiss the prospect that the team will end up signing [Josh Johnson] for 2011 as well, and if need be, take the compensatory draft picks in 2012 if the right-hander signs elsewhere when [...]

This according to Marlins general manager Michael Hill. From Joe Frisaro at MLB.com:
Appearing as a guest on Marlins flagship station 790 The Ticket’s “Hot Stove Show” on Saturday, [GM Michael Hill] was asked if Johnson would be with the team next season.
“Yes, I can say with certainty, yes,” Hill said.
I take that as probably true. Whether I like the idea or not is another story. As Maniac commenter Lane pointed out over the holiday weekend, Keith Law of ESPN think the Marlins could get a major haul from Johnson, in the form of two major-league ready youngsters and two Double-A [...]

If you check FanGraphs as often as I do, you may have already seen this, but for the uninitiated, check this out. FanGraphs founder David Appelman has set up an awesome feature inspired by Tom Tango’s Fans Scouting Report, called the 2010 Fan Projections! That’s right, similar to the FSR, we the fans will now be able to put our wisdom of the crowds into good use!
The process is simple. Get a FanGraphs account. Once you’re signed up and logged in, click on the “My Projections” link at the top. That should take you to the ballot sheet. Pick a [...]

The Maniac is taking a day off today in light of the holiday (and to catch up on some schoolwork). But I wanted to wish a happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers and leave you with my “thanks” as a Marlins fan. As a Marlins fan, perhaps what I am most thankful for is Hanley Ramirez. It’s a joy to watch him play everyday.
Maniac reader MarlinFreak1 (from Twitter) thinks so too, and he’s compiled a cool highlight video of everything Hanley. Check it out here, and enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend everyone!

I figured I’d share this with everyone, even though I don’t think it is all that significant. I recalculated WAR for all the Marlins position players, mostly using data from FanGraphs. To do this, I calculated the wOBA weights according to Tom Tango’s instructions, took them out of the wOBA totals seen on FanGraphs, and park-adjusted and recalculated wRAA for each player. Then I added EqBRR data from Baseball Prospectus and the remaining inputs from FanGraphs. This is not designed to show you anything terribly different, but it does give you a (slightly) better overview than what you would see [...]

What’s going on everyone? Here are you mid-week links just prior to Thanksgiving!
- Miami Today reports that there was a large price range in offers to build the new stadium’s parking garage. The city commission still has to vote to support the contractor hired, but there will be new faces in the coming months, so we’ll see how that turns out.
- Mike Silva of New York Baseball Digest says that Florida (both south and Tampa) does not deserve baseball. Now, I don’t like Mike Silva, because he’s your typical loudmouth radio host, but he has a point here. Neither team [...]

It wasn’t likely Hanley Ramirez (or anyone really, regardless of how I voted) was going to beat out Albert Pujols for National League MVP, but I’ll take a second place finish any day. That’s how it happened. Congratulations to Hanley on an awesome season and a great accomplishment. Congratulations also to Albert Pujols, who is one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen.
One tiny (but significant note): what the hell is it going to take to get Chase Utley some recognition? He is likely the best second baseman in baseball defensively, most assuredly the best second baseman offensively, and he [...]

“I think the most important stat offensively is the RBI. Having four guys in the lineup who can drive in 100 or 90 runs is super.”
- Florida Marlins first baseman Jorge Cantu
As I said yesterday, it appears as if the Marlins would have to be blown away to trade Jorge Cantu, meaning that in all likelihood, he’ll be returning to the Fish next year. Cantu is scheduled to make around $5M next season, but the Marlins apparently see it fit to pay him anyway.
But what are the Marlins paying Cantu for? The team must know that, given that Cantu is [...]

This according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
Because the Marlins are willing to listen to possible trade scenarios for just about every one of their players, speculation has surfaced that Jorge Cantu will be dealt.
Indications are that won’t be the case.
MLB.com has learned that it is “almost 100 percent” certain that Cantu will be a Marlin in 2010. The 27-year-old is entering his final season of arbitration. He made $3.5 million in ‘09, and he ended up with 100 RBIs, hitting cleanup behind Hanley Ramirez.
Hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors.
Readers know my stance on this matter. Jorge Cantu is expected to [...]

At least to pitchers it is. Juan C. Rodriguez has the scoop.
Here’s a team-by-team look at pitcher contracts of four or years signed within the last five or six seasons:
Marlins — None
Phillies – None
<snip>
Reds — Bronson Arroyo (4 plus option), Francisco Cordero (4 plus option), Aaron Harang (4 plus option)
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Cardinals — Chris Carpenter (5 plus option), Kyle Lohse (4), Adam Wainwright (4 plus 2 options)
<snip>
Giants — Matt Cain (4 plus option), Noah Lowry (4 plus option), Barry Zito (7 plus option)
<snip>
Tigers — Jeremy Bonderman (4)
<snip>
Indians — Fausto Carmona (4 plus 3 options), Cliff Lee (4 plus option), Jake Westbrook (4), [...]