Fansided Faux Winter Meetings Wrap-Up for Marlin Maniac

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Dec 9, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Jarrod Saltalamacchia twirls his daughter Sloan Saltalamacchia before being introduced as the Miami Marlins

Two weeks ago I introduced the project the Fansided MLB Network was working on: The 2014 FanSided Faux Winter Meetings. The “Meetings” began on the 17th and concluded on the 24th. In that week, the editors and authors of the Fansided MLB Network discussed trades among each other and signed free agents, in trying to get their respective team to become a playoff contender, or potentially rebuild.

In House Moves:

The first two moves of the Winter Meetings were two in-house moves. The first one was the opposite of what the Marlins did in real life with catcher Jeff Mathis. The second move was the same as the one the Marlins made in real life.

Declined Option on catcher Jeff Mathis:
This was an easy choice for me. While I do appreciate Mathis’ defense behind the plate, his weak hitting didn’t justify the $1 million contract he was due at the time.

Extended RF Giancarlo Stanton for 13-years $325 million; Opt-out after 2020 season; NTC
Nothing new here, just signed Giancarlo to the same extension he signed in real life. His $6.5M salary for the 2015 season really set the wheels in motion for the rest of my Winter Meetings.

The Mathis move came before the exact details of Stanton’s extension were known. Working under the assumption that Stanton would be making a higher AAV, I decided to part ways with Mathis. I likely would have picked up Mathis’ option if I had a better idea of the particulars of Stanton’s contract.

Next: Trades (part 1)

Sep 28, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) is congratulated by manager Bryan Price (38) after the Reds defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 at Great American Ball Park. The Reds won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Trades (part 1):

Traded C Jarrod Saltalamacchia to the Los Angeles Dodgers for SP Chris Anderson and INF Darnell Sweeney:
This was a tough trade to make, as I sincerely believe Salty’s going to have a bounceback 2015 season. But a chance to clear $7 million in salary as well as add two prospects that interest me a lot was something I didn’t want to pass up. Trading Saltalamacchia cleared $7 million in salary and opened the door for bigger (and bolder) transactions down the road.

Only issue, Jacob Realmuto was the only catcher on the Marlins 40-man roster. I had to either decide he was ready to take on a full-time role as the Marlins catcher or make another move for a starting catcher.

Acquired SP Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds for SP Anthony DeSclafani, SP Brian Flynn, and INF Avery Romero:
Unlike the real life Marlins, I was not out seeking a frontline starter, or any starter for that matter, but when the opportunity arose to acquire the services of Cueto, I had to jump on it. Cueto slots into the #1 slot in the rotation until Jose returns in June/July, giving the Marlins a top of the line rotation.

The Reds approached me with three different proposals on prospects they wanted for Cueto. This is the one that made the most sense to me. The acquisition of Darnell Sweeney opened the door for me to trade Romero. Sweeney is further along than Romero, meaning he could help the Marlins reap the benefits of the two trades a lot faster.

We did not make any attempts to try and resign Cueto a long-term deal during the meetings.

Acquired C Jason Castro from the Houston Astros for INF Enrique Hernandez, C/INF Austin Barnes, and RP Chris Hatcher:
After trading both the catchers that spend the majority of the season behind the plate for the team, I needed to decide if I believed prospect J.T Realmuto was ready for a full-time role. Ultimately, I believed he needed some more minor league seasoning and went in the direction of a proven guy, in Castro.

In this deal, we had to send away two guys we thought could make a major impact for the Marlins, maybe as soon as this season. Hernandez was projected to be my every day second baseman headed into the Meetings. Barnes became the third catcher traded from the team during the off-season. The only way these two would have been moved was if I could acquire a starting catcher that could be a cornerstone behind the plate.

With a talented bullpen, Chris Hatcher was an expandable piece.

Next: Free Agent Signings

Oct 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez (13) scores a run past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) in the 6th inning during game four of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Free Agent Signings:

Signed 3B Hanley Ramirez to a 6-year $120 million deal; Option for 7th year; NTC:
This option was never on the table for us, until we learned the details of Stanton’s contract. While the 6-year deal is an overpay, he makes $15 million in 2015 and fit into the Marlins plans as a long-term guy to boost the lineup. I was never interested in the Pablo Sandoval sweepstakes and a home run like Hanley felt like more excitable than a Chase Headley signing.

Bringing Hanley home was my goal from the time I realized I could fit him into the budget. He fills a huge hole at third base for the team long-term as well as provides a huge bat that could do well in the same lineup as Stanton.

Signed UT Emilio Bonifacio to a 3-year $10 million deal:

A chance to bring home another former Marlin was not lost upon me. Bonifacio will fill the role that had been occupied by Ed Lucas the past few seasons. He steps in as the fourth outfielder and is an option to start a chunk of games at second.

Another major reason for bringing Boni on board was because of the success the Kansas City Royals in their world series run. Emilio immediately fills that role for the Marlins, as a pinch running extraordinaire.

If the Derek Dietrich and Jeff Baker platoon at second doesn’t pan out, Bonifacio is first in line to receive the majority of the playing time at second base.

Signed C David Ross to 1-year $1.5 million deal:

Ross replaces the vacated roster spot by Jeff Mathis and gives Realmuto a bit of more time to develop in the minor leagues. He makes a little more than Mathis would have had he been kept on the roster. In his two seasons with the Red Sox, Ross was worth a 1.1 WAR compared to Mathis being worth a -.04 WAR. So that extra $0.5 million could become a factor.

Next: Trades (part 2)

Aug 2, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians designated hitter Nick Swisher (33) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Trades (part 2):

The final three trades were primarily made to shed salary to get the team back into $65-$70 million range that the Marlins themselves are planning to be around. In order to move the contract of first baseman Garrett Jones, I made the decision to latch him onto any Steve Cishek deal. This likely lessened the haul Cishek would bring in, but at the end of the day, it was a move necessary to get the team into their tight budget.

Traded 1B Garrett Jones and CL Steve Cishek to the Pittsburgh Pirates for SP prospect Nick Kingham:

In an odd turn of events, Garrett Jones was traded back to his original team, along with Cishek. In return, we brought back Pirates prospect Nick Kingham. In a way, the #5 rated Pirate prospect by MLB.com, fills the roles of the pitching prospects that were sent away this 0ff-season.

Even with the trades of Cishek and Hatcher, we feel good about the state of the bullpen. The Cishek trade hurts the team in the short-term, but the clearing of the two big salaries was needed after the other off-season moves. Between this move and the next one, the door was open for us to make a bold deal for a potential bounceback guy.

Traded 3B Casey McGehee to the Milwaukee Brewers for 1B Jason Rogers and Damien Magnifico:

With Hanley in the fold at third and Bonifacio as the utility player, the door closed on McGehee’s spot on the roster. Since the decision to tender him a contract had already been made, a trade was the only choice pertaining to McGehee.

In return, we got Rogers and Manifico. Rogers is left handed bench bat who should start the season in Triple-A. He could compete with Justin Bour down the road for a potential back-up 1B role. Magnificio is a 23-year old relief pitcher in High-A with pedestrian numbers. He’s just an organization filler.

Acquired 1B Nick Swisher and $6 million cash from the Cleveland Indians for SP prospects Jarlin Garcia, and Trevor Williams:

This is my biggest risk of a move of the Meetings, as Swisher is 34-years old and was nearly 2 wins below replacement level in 2014. Acquiring Swisher and inserting him into the spot vacated by Jones is a huge risk. With another season left in his contract, he’d be a hard guy to move if he struggles like he did last year.

Swish has however hit at least 20 home runs and posted a 10.0%+ walk rate in every year but two. The hope is he bounces back in a big way in 2015 in a lineup featuring Stanton and Hanley.

In real life, Garcia was not protected by the Marlins, so he was likely an expendable piece anyways, despite being a sleeper prospect for many last season. Trevor Williams on the other hand is a pitching prospect that has a chance to develop into a 4/5 guy down the road. Williams is also seen as a potential quick riser through the system, trading him away, even for Swisher, was not an easy move.

Next: Wrap Up

Nov 19, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins owner Jeffery Loria listens during a press conference at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

In all, the Faux Winter Meetings had the Marlins making 11 transactions, one of the busier teams in the Meetings. Here’s a break down of the type of transactions:

1 extension
1 option declined
3 free agent signings
6 trades

Overall, the team is in better shape than it was coming out of last season. Giancarlo Stanton is now a Marlin for at least 6-years. The additions of Hanley Ramirez and Nick Swisher should strengthen the lineup and Cueto is a huge boost to the rotation until Jose Fernandez returns.

Tomorrow we’ll go over how the final roster look and if the team can contend for a playoff spot next season.

Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?

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