Marlins Sign Castillo

I'm not saying that the Marlins have found Miggy's replacement - that will never happen. But they did find a decent 3B candidate to hold the fort until Dominguez is ready - the ex-Pirate Jose Castillo.

Castillo, who couldn't find a home run last season, has been able to his 11 and 14 in the previous two seasons before, respectively. Obviously, that isn't going to make up for Miguel's power, but if he can field his position better than Miguel, and somehow raise his average above .270 in the process, the Marlins might have found a solid solution.

Keep an eye on Castillo though. He is only 26 and is tearing up the Venezuelan league right now, hitting .370 with 7 home runs in 45 games. He might be poised to blow up this season - how nice of a change would that be for the Marlins considering their luck in past seasons with other free agent acquisitions.

Dolphins Being Sold Good Sign for Marlins

What do the Miami Dolphins have to do with the Florida Marlins? Everything.

The two form a symbiote, of course the Marlins are the cash cow for the Dolphins which is something Wayne H. Huizenga would never admit.

Let's not even rehash the sham that was the '97 fire sale and the ridiculous claims Huizenga, whom I affectionately call H-bomb, made in regards to losing money. Back then, a $52M payroll was "outrageous". Today, its bottom of the league (then there is the Marlins hovering around 20M - the Dollar Store of MLB). We can, however, focus on the near criminal lease H-bomb suckered John Henry into that present owner Jeffrey Loria is living with. That lease forces most of the revenue from Marlins games, all 81 of them per season, to line H-bomb's pockets. The Marlins, naturally, are cash strapped and cannot put a good product on the field.

Of course, some will ask is this is the chicken or the egg - is the Marlins franchise cash strapped because they don't put a name brand product on the field?

H-bomb's lease has an effect on the Marlins financial situation, no matter how you examine it.

Still, the Dolphins being put up for sale by H-bomb is not only a good sign for the Dolphins, but a good sign for the Marlins. The Marlins' stadium lease at JRS (it will not be discussed by another other name here) is up in 2010. The Marlins are pushing to get a stadium deal done so they can move in in the year 2011. What this means for the Dolphins and H-bomb is that the Marlins will no longer be a tenant after 2010 and all that surplus revenue, used towards making the Dolphins' situation a very lucrative one, will vanish.

No more Marlins means that the Dolphins, and HBomb, have to figure out a way to pay the rent on the place for the rest of the year. No tenant from February to August means no revenue generated. This is what forced Joe Robbie himself out as owner of the Dolphins in the first place. And now it is coming back to push H-bomb out as well.

He gave us the MLB franchise, but promptly attempted to destroy it while still in its infancy. If there is any justice, H-bomb should be forced to keep the Dolphins at JRS with horrible attendance just to make up for what he has done to the rest of South Florida's franchises. And I am a Dolphins fan.

All this aside, it seems that this is a barometer for things to come. If the Marlins are indeed moving out then Huizenga's desire to sell the Dolphins will be a sign that they are going to be successful in their relocation.

Finances in Place for New Stadium?

Things may be turning around for the Marlins, the laughing stock of fan bases these days. (My ears are still ringing)

In what is shaping up to be more than a last ditch effort, but an actual plan, the county of Miami-Dade is looking like a partner with the Marlins in a plan to bring the MLB franchise into the center of the city at the Orange Bowl.

With the Canes leaving for JRS, the door is open for the Marlins to switch places and renovate the OB area into a baseball haven. It looks like the Marlins will have more upfront costs to work with, and if this deal works out, the trades sending away two of the most beloved Marlins may be justified.

Further Reading
Miami Herald
Palm Beach Post - Vote Passes 4-1

Stay tuned.

Cabrera and Willis Gone

Fish no more.

Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are no longer Marlins. Arguably one of the best hitters of his generation, Miguel Cabrera was working real hard on getting back into shape when the deal was made. As for Dontrelle, he was on vacation in Mexico when he got the news.

Neither player netted a familiar name in return, which was to be expected. The Marlins are in survival mode and unfortunately, this deal will fall on a few, concerned ears. Most Marlin fans checked out after the '03 ticker tape parade and won't be back until the next one.

The Marlins brass, although reportedly netting a pretty sizeable amount of young talent in return is leaving the PR department with a lot of work to do.

The Tigers would send outfielder Cameron Maybin, pitcher Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabelo and minor league pitchers Eulogio De La Cruz, Dallas Trahern and Burke Badenhop to the Marlins, ESPN reports.

Maybin has been turning heads and drawing comparisons to a certain Griffey, Jr. If that is the case, the Marlins may have started to break even in this deal. But remember, it was an unknown Dontrelle Willis the Marlins acquired for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca several years back - a deal back then met with much reservation and protest.

A full report is on the way.