Marlins - Return to Championship Ways?

December 2, 2008   ·   Paul Raymond   ·   Jump to comments

Could the Florida Marlins be digging in their past to get back to relevancy? Not quite, but they are digging into their past and looking to bring a few players back. Joe Frisario of MLB.com says that the Marlins could be after New York Yankees catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. This rumor actually makes sense for a couple reasons, let’s look at them.

One, the Yankees didn’t offer arbitration to Pudge. All along we all knew Pudge was just a rental for the Yankees, brought in for extra insurance with Jorge Posada out for the season. Rodriguez made $13 million last season, and there was no chance the Yankees were going to pay him that to be a backup in 2009. In actuality, there isn’t a team in the league that would offer that kind of salary, so it was smart for the Yankees not to offer arbitration as he would of easily accepted it for the pay day. With no arbitration being offered, the Marlins could now sign the catcher and not lose any draft picks in the move.

Two, the Marlins are actively pursuing a veteran backup catcher. The team currently has Matt Treanor on the block, and would love a quality catcher behind incumbent John Baker. With his outstanding career coming to a close, Pudge could also hand off plenty of knowledge to the Marlins young pitching staff before he sails off into the sunset.

Finally, the team is looking to play into the hearts of Marlins fans, if there are still any. Pudge was around when the team was successful, he has a special place in the hearts of the Marlins faithful. Bringing in him could be a sign of goodwill, an attempt to get some fans back into the seats. Although I doubt it would bring many.

Pudge would be a nice addition to the Marlins, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind going back to Florida. The problem will be salary. If he’s looking for anything near what he earned last year then he has no chance of being a Marlin. Rotoworld suggests that if his demands fall in the $6 to $7 million range, then the Marlins could be more the interested. I agree with that thinking, as it’s not to expensive for a backup of his caliber. Plus, the Marlins have plenty of money to spend after their minuscule payroll over the past few years.

In addition to Pudge, there are rumors swirling that the Marlins may also try to bring back Carl Pavano.

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