Miami Marlins Weekly Recap: Three Strikes

Following a surge of activity that shocked us out of our January doldrums, the Marlins resumed treading water in terms of making headlines. In this abbreviated “Three Strikes” Feature, rather than break down an upcoming series or opponent, we’ll take a look at the news developments of the past week. This will be divided into significant stories and minor moves.

Significant Stories:

Strike 1- The biggest news of the past week was when, via two separate news conferences, the Marlins announced the official signings of Dee Gordon and Wei-Yin Chen to their long-term deals. Turns out they weren’t just pulling our leg after all.
Strike 2- Add Bronson Arroyo to the list of retreads the Marlins reportedly explored adding to bolster the rotation, along with Tim Lincecum, Doug Fister, Kyle Lohse, and Cliff Lee. Lincecum and Lohse also saw their names pop up more this week; Lincecum as a result of gearing up for his February pitching exhibition, and Lohse as a result of it being a slow news week for anyone not in on Yoenis Cespedes. Kidding aside, all of these names would have some real short-term value for the club, and the team is likely waiting for prices to drop- just like the twenty-nine other teams in the league.
Strike 3- If you had closer penciled in as a lock when it comes to Spring position battles, bust out your eraser. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami herald, not only was Miami looking into Fernando Rodney, but they are considering it to be an open competition between incumbent A.J. Ramos and Carter Capps. This seems especially surprising considering that Ramos was only 200% more effective in terms of ERA and saves than Rodney, and even warranted All-Star buzz in his first full year on the job. While Capps was excellent last season, it would seem that Ramos should have earned the benefit of the doubt. Of course, we thought the same thing about Steve Cishek last year.