Jose Reyes isn’t the only Marlin saying goodbye to Miami. Photo by Steve Mitchell/US Presswire
Apparently the Miami Marlins have figured to the mysteries of time travel and have taken us back to 1997 with their latest fire sale. After their first World Series crown that year, management gutted the team and that’s exactly what is happening today. Multiple reports are out that Miami have agreed to a potential trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that would send the following players to Toronto:
- Jose Reyes (SS)
- Josh Johnson (SP)
- Mark Buehrle (SP)
- John Buck (C)
- Emilio Bonifacio (IF/OF)
In exchange, the Miami Marlins would receive:
- Yunel Escobar (SS)
- Henderson Alvarez (SP)
- Jeff Mathis (C)
- prospects Jake Marisnick, Adeiny Hechavarria, Justin Nicolino and Anthony Desclafini
The main thing keeping the deal from becoming official is that MLB has to look at the contracts and amount of money being moved before signing off on it.
The most obvious reaction to the deal is that Miami is dumping a ton of salary just about a year after they went on a spending spree and moved into their new ballpark. One of those signings, Heath Bell, was already shipped off to Arizona and now the other two, Reyes and Buehrle, are gone. Essentially anyone on the team that was making any sort of money is headed north of the border. Counting the trade deadline deals of HanRam, Infante and Sanchez, the Marlins have dumped $236 million in future salary since July. It’s a massively disappointing end to what was supposed to be a season of hope and renewal. It also is a cautionary tale about how reckless spending on big free agents can backfire in a big way. This is even more relevant giving that a few free agents this offseason are expecting big contracts.
While it certainly is crushing to Marlins fans who had hope, it’s a massive boost to Toronto and their chances next season in the AL East. Jose Bautista is as excited as Giancarlo Stanton is disappointed. Despite their big deals, Reyes and Buehrle performed up to expectations. Both Buehrle and Johnson will provide a big boost to inconsistent and youthful Blue Jay rotation. Reyes will slot in at the top of the lineup, with Buck proving catching depth and Bonifacio positional flexibility. Some are rushing to proclaim the Jays as the favorite in the AL East in 2013, but remember it’s only November. Plus didn’t the Marlins think they were primed for the playoffs last offseason?
