Red Sox Series Preview: An Inside Look at the Miami Marlins

The Red Sox hit the road for inter-league play meaning they’ll be handicapped by not having a DH, something they’ve built their offense around given Big Papi’s resurgence at the plate.  The first stop is Miami and the much improved Marlins who are battling for position in their division, much like the Red Sox.

We collaborated with Ehsan, the senior editor at Marlin Maniacs who gave us in-depth look at the Marlins from his perspective.  We’re talking Hanley at third, the performances of the off season signings and of course, Ozzie Guillen. Enjoy.

1. The Marlins were one of the bigger spenders and more active clubs this offseason singing Heath Bell, Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes. How have the big three performed thus far and are they meeting expectations?

Yes, the Marlins went all out this winter and tried to rebuild the image of the team by signing three impact free agents. For the most part, the team did an excellent job.

I would say that the Jose Reyes signing was one of the best personal moves in all of baseball this past off-season. The Marlins had a gaping hole at third base and with third base prospect Matt Dominguez looking like he would never be a good major league hitter, the Marlins needed to make a move. The Marlins could have signed Aramis Ramirez, but they wisely decided to go after one of the best players in Jose Reyes, and move incumbent short stop Hanley Ramirez to third base. The move did not come without controversy, but has worked out well for the Marlins so far. Reyes got off to a slow start, but has turned things around. The Marlins may have struggled in their past six games, but I am not ready to go into panic mode for those games yet.

The Mark Buehrle signing was a solid move, but nothing spectacular. Based on the numbers I crunched, the Marlins should come out even in value with the Buehrle deal. The problem I had with the contract is that the Marlins do not receive any surplus value. But that is not too bad for a comsumate professional pitcher that Buehrle is. He will never blow hitters away, but has done an excellent job of getting hitters out, by outperforming his peripherals. Buehrle has been an open welcome to the Marlins rotation, and I doubt the Marlins will be regretting this move any time soon.

As for the Heath Bell signing, when I talk about his contract, I like to throw the numbers out the window. I was not a fan of the signing when it took place and still am not today. The Marlins overpaid for the most overrated role in baseball, the closer. The Marlins had a capable arm to step up into this role, Steve Cishek, yet they overpaid for someone they did not need. The Marlins could have allocated that money elsewhere, like a suitable center fielder. What’s done is done, I am not going to dwell on this signing to long. Bell seems to have turned things around, but still will never be worth the contract he signed.

2. We heard so much about moving Hanley Ramirez moving to third including the rumors he wanted to be traded over playing the hot corner. How has he handled the transition and is he the long term third baseman in Miami?

Hanley Ramirez has handled the move to third base better than anyone expected. After a slow start, Ramirez has looked extremely comfortable out there and is looking like a ten-year veteran third baseman. The Marlins could not have wished for Ramirez to handle this role as well as he has.

Ramirez also seems like a lot better of a teammate this season, when the Marlins do something, he usually seems to be the first player to greet that player by the dugout and congratulate them. Hanley gets along well with his manager as well.

Ramirez had a hot streak in May and to begin the month of June. He has struggled as of late, but I expect him to turn things around and make a big impact on the Marlins going forward. If Hanley can show his maturity all season and produce semi-Hanley like numbers, I would not be surprised to see the Marlins extend his contract and keep him in Miami for the rest of his big league career.

3. Amidst a 6-game losing streak for the fish they are still well in the division race.  what’s been the biggest reason for the teams recent struggles?

The biggest reason for the Marlins recent struggles has been a trouble of hitting with runners in scoring position, the starting pitching, and the bullpen. Going forward, I am not too worried about the Marlins struggling with runners in scoring position, as that is a small sample size, that does not truly indicate how good of a hitter a batter actually is. I believe the Marlins can have one of the best lineups in baseball once everyone is healthy.

The teams starting pitching has been the strong point this season and while there was some regression expected to happen, I think the starting pitchers have enough to work the kinks out and get back into the gear they were in to begin the season. Josh Johnson is finally finding his game. The bullpen is of the same thought to me.

The Marlins are a lot better team than they have displayed over the past six games, the team has some flaws that could be addressed at the deadline, but the team is good enough to win the NL East as well. I do not want to be a prisoner of the moment and overreact to the issues going on with the Marlins right now.

4. How has Ozzie Guillen fared in his first season in Miami? Have most fans forgiven him for his Castro remarks or was the whole ordeal blown out of proportion?

The whole ordeal was blown out of proportion. Ozzie Guillen’s comments were not as bad as the media made them sound. They were mistimed and inappropriate, but he did not ever say he liked Fidel as a politician. ESPN has a tendency to blow things out of proportion, as we all know.

I believe fans have forgiven Ozzie, because the team was winning and he was apologetic. If the team did not catch fire in May, Guillen’s manager seat might have.

5. Are the Marlins legit contenders this year or does the team need tinkering? If so, play GM and what potential moves would you make?

The team, in my opinion, is a legitimate threat to win the National League East. The team has one of the best rotations in the NL and one of the best lineups as well. The team won a lot in May, but the team never really hit their stride hitting the ball. The team still has some improvement to make in the hitting department. If and when Gaby Sanchez and Logan Morrison get going, and Emilio Bonifacio gets back from his injury, the Marlins lineup will be more lethal, especially with their three stars playing well, in Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Reyes, and Hanley Ramirez.

If I were the GM, I would try to make a move for a center fielder and maybe a catcher. The catcher market would be a lot harder to find someone, and with the Marlins lacking proper prospects to make a move, I expect the Marlins to make minimal ground in finding a suitable catcher to replace the ever struggling John Buck.

Emilio Bonifacio is the current center fielder, but I believe he is best utilized by the Marlins as a super utility player. He can play average defense about everywhere on the field. A name I wish the Marlins would keep an eye on his Justin Upton. While the Diamondbacks do not seem poised to move him, I did read that they would be listening to offers. The Marlins have some talent in the lower minor leagues, as well as Matt Dominguez and Gaby Sanchez to offer up as trade bait. Dominguez is one of the Marlins best prospects and blocked by Hanley. Sanchez is a solid every day first baseman, but the Marlins would be wise to move Logan Morrison to first, to improve the teams defense.

6. With Giancarlo Stanton not having an extension as of yet and given the free spending the Marlins displayed this winter, is it safe to say Stanton will be a Marlin for many years to come or will the fish be forced to deal him before free agency in four years, similar to what we’ve seen with the Marlins in the past being a small market club?

The Miami Marlins and Giancarlo Stanton both know that there is no way that the team can let him be the fish that got away (excuse the pun.) The Marlins have not presented Stanton with an extension yet, but I expect something to come up very soon. This is my speculation, but the Marlins may make Stanton an offer of some sort this off-season, before they make any other moves.

In his three short seasons in the big leagues, Stanton has become the Marlins best all-around player, and one of the elite players in all of baseball. All of that at the ripe age of 22. The Marlins would be morons to let this guy get away. He is a hard worker and a great teammate as well.