Feb 18, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays infielder Jose Reyes (7) during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

We are a month into the 2013 season, so I thought it might be interesting to check into the results of the Blue Jays – Marlins trade from this past offseason.  The Blue Jays expected this trade, along with a few other moves they made, to put them in the driver’s seat to win the division.  The Marlins contend that, from a pure baseball standpoint, this was an excellent move on their part.  (And, oh yeah, the Rays and Mets sort of got in on the action a bit later as well by acquiring Yunel Escobar and John Buck, but I will leave them out to avoid cluttering things up too much). 

Let’s take a look at how the players have fared for their new teams so far:

Blue Jays

Marlins

The Blue Jays have received a combined 0.2 WAR from the 4 players they received in the deal.  Jose Reyes was actually playing well with a .395/.465/.526 slash line and .434 wOBA before injuring his ankle after 10 games played.  The injury was supposed to keep him out for a month and he has yet to return.  Bonifacio has been bad both at the plate and in the field and has been relegated to a bench role.  Both Johnson and Buehrle are sporting 6+ ERAs and have won only 1 game between them.  Johnson missed his last start due to triceps soreness, but is expected to return for his next scheduled start.  The Blue Jays as a team are currently in last place in the AL East with a record of 10-17 on the season, just 2 more wins than the Marlins.

The Marlins at the major league level have gotten only 52 fruitless plate appearances from Adeiny Hechavarria before he succumbed to an elbow injury 14 games into the season.  Pitcher Henderson Alvarez and catcher Jeff Mathis were both injured in spring training and have yet to return.  Surprisingly, of the 12 players involved in the trade the best season so far has come from the least heralded participant, minor league pitcher Anthony Desclafani who is 4-1 with a 0.44 ERA. 

As much as I hate to say it, so far Loria and the Marlins look justified in having made this trade performance wise.  All of the players they traded away have been terrible or injured or both (except Buck!).  Even though the Marlins have received next to nothing on the field at the major league level from the players they received, off the field the savings in salary clearly makes them the winners so far (if only they had reinvested those savings in obtaining better players!).  That being said, neither side could have imagined the performances would be this bad.  I’ll continue to check in on the players involved throughout the season to see if things improve as some of the injured players get healthy and report back.

Feb 22, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edgar Olmos (67) poses for a picture during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

What’s up, Maniac Fans? Today, Marlin Maniac got a chance to speak with Marlins prospect Edgar Olmos. Olmos, 23, is a tall lefty who was selected in the third round by the Marlins in the 2008 draft. He has been featured in the Marlins top prospects list two different times as scouts rave about his make up and potential. Through 8 seasons, Olmos owns an 8-32 record with a 4.83 ERA. While those numbers do not sound pretty, we talked to him to find out why he struggled early, and what he is doing now to return to the form that had scouts pounce on him five years ago.

Marlin Maniac: You were drafted in the third round out of high school. What was the feeling when the Marlins drafted you?

Edgar Olmos: Well, it was an awesome feeling when I saw my name pop up on the computer monitor. My family jumped with joy, and was more excited than I was at the time. I was just sitting there, shocked.

MM: If you hadn’t been drafted, what schools were you leaning toward with the college route?

EO: I had a full scholarship to the University of Arizona.

MM: Did the Marlins have any contact with you prior to the draft?

EO: Yes. I talked to my scout, Tim McDonnell, before the draft, and still talk to him today.

MM: You have played everywhere from Rookie Ball to AA. What has been your favorite part so far in pro ball? Least?

EO: I love pro ball because of the cities you see, the people you meet, and the friendships you make. Traveling always sucks, especially those 13-hour bus rides, but you have to pay your dues.  For me, the down side came early on. I pitched my first pro game in 2008 and came off the mound hurt. I spent the rest of that year in rehab, followed by surgery in 2009. In 2011 and half of the 2012 season I was playing in Jupiter when they moved me to the bullpen. I performed really well out of the pen… way better than as a starter. I started throwing a lot harder; harder than I’ve ever thrown before. Now I’m in AA, enjoying every moment of it.

MM: You have been a whole lot more effective out of the pen, rather than as a starter. What do you think has made the difference? Scouts say you are a tall lefty with great stuff; that you just need to put it all together to be a major league piece. What do you think you need to improve on the most?

EO: It’s just a different attitude out of the pen. Mostly, I just need to stay consistent and limit my walks, and just keep going out there and pitching the way I know I can.

MM: Last few questions: I’m sure you have heard a lot about the big fire sale last season. However, trading the big names got the farm system a number of great prospects, including Christian Yelich, Jose Fernandez, Marcell Ozuna, and Andrew Heaney. Which of the prospects have you played with, and who impressed you the most?

EO: Well, the trade just brought opportunity to all us younger guys in the system.  I have played with all those guys. They are all great, and should be in the show…they’re great guys to be teammates with.

MM: What are your personal goals for the next 3 years?

EO: I just need to continue working hard, doing what I need to do, controlling what I can control, and let the rest play itself out.

Even with the excitement of the upcoming season, not everything is rosy in the baseball world. The Marlins are still struggling with the ramifications of the major fire sale the team held during the winter. Fans are still none to pleased to have meddling owner Jeffery Loria and David Samson treat them like they are not worth anything.

-Jeffery Loria claims that the 2013 Marlins are not a Triple-A team, yet he still does not seem to know the names of his own players:

It’s not a Triple-A ball club. It’s a ball club with some pretty impressive players. I wouldn’t call (Placido) Polanco a Triple-A player. I wouldn’t call the new shortstop a Triple-A player. I wouldn’t call our second baseman a Triple-A player. I certainly wouldn’t call Rob Brantly that.

Loria, your second baseman’s name is Donovan Solano and your shortstop’s name is  Adeiny Hechavarria. Sure they are not household names, but they are players that the teams’ owner should know.

Owner Jeffery Loria claims Hanley called to tell him how Hechavarria is a better shortstop than he is. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

-Apparently, Hanley Ramirez called Jeffery Loria to tell him that the shortstop he acquired in the trade was better than him:

“Hanley Ramirez called us and told us what an incredible shortstop he is,” Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said. “When Hanley tells you ‘He is better than I am, you’ve got a great guy with great hands,’ it’s amusing to listen to.”

This very well could have happened, as Loria has no reason to lie about it, but I do not see it in Hanley Ramirez to tell anyone that someone is better than him. That does not make any sense to me.

And of course, the shortstop that Hanley says is better than him, you forget his name? Cool story!

-Speaking of shortstops, Jose Reyes says that Jeffery Loria was lying when he denied accusations that he told Reyes to buy a house in Miami:

“You can ask Peter if I’m a liar. Two people are better than one. I don’t have to lie about that. He traded me, that’s fine with me. Just be real with me. Be honest. Don’t tell me to buy a house and get a nice place for my family and stuff when you (know) you’re going to trade me. Why (did) you do that?”

-The Miami Marlins were the subject of ESPN’s Outside The Lines Wednesday, which specifically was aimed towards Jeffery Loria and his PR nightmare with the Marlins. The panel for the show included Team President David Samson, Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote, ESPN prospects guru Keith Law and ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell.

You can check out the podcast here, but I will mention that Samson, like Loria, was unsure about the names of his own players.

Bravo, stand-up work Marlins!

-Strip Club with Stanton proclaims that the transformation from Jeffery Loria to Jeff Irleand is complete. If you are a Marlins and Dolphins fan, it will help a lot to read this article and just laugh at the incompetence of both Miami franchises. At least we have Lebron James and Dwyane Wade.

-With the recent passing away of the Los Angeles Lakers owner, Jerry Buss, there has been a lot of talk about whose been the best owner in professional sports. The Huffington Post takes a bit further and questions if Jeffery Loria is the worst owner in sports history?

My answer: Hell yeah, the evidence certainly points that way.

What do you guys think, it Jeffery Loria the worst owner in sports history? Vote on the poll below and comment your thoughts on Loria.

As part of our ongoing coverage of the on-going mess with the Marlins front office, the authors of Marlin Maniac have also reacted to the deal, and their reactions are shown below.

Geoff Parkins:

Here is my take, both on the Jeff Passan article at Yahoo! Sports, and the quickie presser digest thrown up by Capozzi:

1) Loria either lives in a vacuum, and has zero exposure to any of the tens of thousands of comments and opinions floating around about the trade, or he is dissembling in an effort to put on a happy face.  His vague comment about “some silly phone calls” leads me to suspect that part of the reason for his silence has been due to a credible threat against his person.

Jose Reyes is confused as to why his name is still being mentioned in drama about the Miami Marlins and their owner Jeffery Loria, months after he was traded. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

2) His extensive, detailed recollection of the circumstances surrounding Jose Reyes‘ real estate issues stink like a carefully crafted story designed to put spin on an unspinnable event.  Furthermore, he sure sounds like he’s hiding behind semantics, Clinton-style:  ” ‘Has your wife been down to Miami?’…I didn’t say anything after that.”

3) Passan’s article seems to be a well-researched announcement that in fact, the Emperor is as naked as a jaybird. Point-by-point, he tears down the delicately stacked house of cards that Loria splashed across three major papers.  It’s clear that the new PR firm has its work cut out, and the full-page mea culpa followed by thinly veiled irritability in front of the friendliest press he’ll see this season isn’t a promising opening salvo from the front office.

4) The biggest problem facing the front office right now is one of perceptions.  Through his actions, Loria has created an image of a ruthless, greedy, elitist indifferent to the cares of the fans and residents of Miami.  In this era of “One Percenter” demonization, that indifference could prove to be his undoing.  The anger out there is real and nearly unanimous amongst those that comment on articles. I understand trolls, but negative comments outnumber the positives by about 25:1. That’s a little more than idle trollery at work.

5) I think that one under-covered aspect of the trade is that it cleared out an awful lot of negative attitude from the clubhouse.  Everything I’ve been reading out of camp is that there is a tremendous amount of positive energy on the team, and a pervasive “we’ll show ‘em” attitude, from Redmond on down.  Stanton is a proven beast, and Ruggiano, Brantly, Turner, Eovaldi, Solano, and Hernandez all looked pretty good towards the tag end of last season. Even Cogs is reportedly fit, hale, and hearty, and is coming off of a good winter season down south. The return of Juan Pierre, in my mind, is a great thing for the club.  He brings steadiness, enthusiasm, and one of the best work ethics in baseball. He doesn’t hit home runs, and needs two cutoff men, but he still has wheels, and hit over .300 in Philly last year. I really think that there is some potential for this team of one star, two has-beens, three journeymen, and a bunch of nobodies to do better than last year’s team of high-payroll prima donnas.

6) Bottom Line:  If the Marlins play well this year, and a statistically unlikely number of prospects prove themselves ready for big-league level ball, it will go a long way toward assuaging the legitimate hurt that Miami fans are feeling this spring. Otherwise, Loria’s most expensive object d’art may very well prove to be a white elephant.

Placido Estevez:

It is difficult to understand how a guy who is obviously smart and successful can be so oblivious when it comes to speaking to customers and the media. I guess in the art business the bigger an ass you appear to be the more they like you or something. The answers to many of the questions are easy:

• Of course I have heard the negative feedback.  We knew from the beginning that the reaction would be negative, but we also know it is just the first step in building a winner.
• Of course I understand the fans anger towards me.  I am the owner and the buck stops with me.  I am angry at myself as well for the failure of last season, but I also expect to win the fans back by making a commitment to building a winning team.
• Giancarlo Stanton is a once in a lifetime talent I hope that we can keep him here with the Marlins for many years.
  

  Marlins fans are hoping that some kind of resolution between the Marlins front office and star Giancarlo Stanton can happen, leading to a contract extension. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Just make it sound like you are telling the truth for once and that you care what your customers think.  Even if they are actually all lies as usual.

Andy Salgado:

I’ve tried to stay positive with the Marlins front office, but reading the interview Mr. Loria gave to reports,  I am done with the front office. I will never mention them again in a tweet or any of my blogs. I am a Marlins fan. A fan of the team and that is were my loyalty is going to stay with the team.

It has not been an easy offseason for Marlins fans, the staff of Marlin Maniac included. The blockbuster trades in themselves were quite annoying, but Loria could not leave it at that. Instead of answering questions to why he made the decisions that he did over the previous calendar year, he has decided to side step the questions and give only the answers that are convenient to him.

We will have more ongoing coverage of this Marlins-Loria soap opera as the day goes on. I will post my thoughts later on in the day, as well as an interview with a fan that takes an opposing view as most Marlins fans on the owner.

April 30, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz (51) tags out Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) at home plate during the fourth inning at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Marlins lost again to the Phillies in a day game today.  Cole Hamels only gave up one run on his way to the win, and Nathan Eovaldi’s rough first inning put up the runs the Marlins were unable to match.

Eovaldi gave up three earned runs in the first inning, but that was it.  As he got deeper into his six-inning start, he struck out seven batters. It seemed like he was pitching better and better as his game progressed.

Unfortunately, the Marlins were unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities today, going a dismal 1-9 RISP and stranding 6. Giancarlo Stanton was held to one hit, a single in the ninth inning. Jose Reyes swiped his 38th bag of the year, stealing third from Cole Hamels right after a pickoff attempt. Stanton almost scored on a close play at the plate, but was called out on a call that seemed a little iffy.

The bullpen yielded the fourth Philadelphia run, with Mike Dunn unable to avoid the bats.  Before notching his first out, he gave up three hits and an earned run. Heath Bell made an appearance to finish the game, striking out one batter in the ninth.