Marlins Dead in the Water?

Seems like it is over too quickly for the Marlins this season.

Suffering injuries to 3/5ths of their stellar starting staff from last season hasn't been kind either. Then again, neither has this coaching staff.

Incidentally, they may all get an incomplete considering the injuries to this team but make no mistake, the Marlins have taken a big step backwards this season. There was a lot of hope and expectation for this young team coming into the season, building on the rookie seasons of Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Mike Jacobs and even Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco. Olsen has turned into a headcase; Jacobs, Johnson, Sanchez and Nolasco have all been injured while only Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla have been able to consistently get into the starting lineup each day.

And it shows.

On top of this struggle, the Marlins made changes to their coaching staff and it doesn't seem to have paid off at all. Girardi left, mostly because he blew out the starters and didn't play the right personnel - and the fruits of that destruction have come to bear as we see Josh Johnson is now out for the rest of this season and possibly next. Yet the hiring of Fredi Gonzalez, met with some fanfare since he is a local kid, has turned out to be a quagmire.

Gonzalez has yet to show any kind of leadership abilities, instead deferring mostly to bench coach Carlos Tosca. The lack of direction shows on the field as these young players tend to go up and down like elevators but never seem to find ways to get out of funks or focus on being professionals day to day. That is not to say that the Marlins have huge problems with their personnel, yet only to say that the challenge of great players is their potential and developing it to its fullest. Miguel Cabrera was battling a big weight issue and the Marlins seemed to lack any courage in addressing it and challenging Cabrera. Dan Uggla went through a big slump and very little got better for him as did Jeremy Hermida. These young players need to have a plan in order to get out these slumps or spells where they just play bad and the Marlins staff seems to side-step the opportunity to hold them accountable as professionals.

It just seems that there is too much focus on personal feelings with this group and a fear to do what is necessary to win.

Say what we want about Girardi, but his crew cut no-nonsense approach made him the focus of the team from the players and no one questioned who was in charge in that dugout. In fact, that may have been what got him fired in the end - he couldn't stop himself. Fredi seems to be the opposite - he doesn't know where he should begin.

As a result, the Marlins have performed worse despite their strong offensive numbers and their talent. Mistakes like letting Armando Benitez even set foot on the field continue, while former problems - Randy Messenger and Jorge Julio, for example - continue to improve.

Byung-Hyun Kim was a shrewd move for Julio, but now he has been placed on waivers and picked up by Arizona. A payroll move and a signal that the Marlins brass is waiving the white flag for the remainder of this season. They might as well get rid of the coaching staff too since they have seemed to all but run the Marlins into the ground now.

There is little to watch for right now other than the development of young talents like Jeremy Hermida and Rick Vanden Hurk. Of course Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez are having fine seasons and are worth the price of the ticket alone to watch each night. In fact, that is the problem - these young guys have talent and deserve to put it on display and win. For some reason, it isn't working out right now.

Bad Loss Shows Fredi is Not Ready

There is no such thing as a good loss. I know some will say there it, but there really isn't. You lost.

Tonight's game against the Freds was a good example of terrible. Mitre started off demonstrating what that adjective means, but pulled it together and got through 6 innings while only surrendering the 3 runs from the first inning. The Marlins' bats woke up and they took back the lead to make it 5-3.

Then it all went wrong.

Armando Benitez comes trotting out and immediately gives up hit after hit after hit. Nothing was fooling the Freds batters, Benitez might as well have been throwing beach balls up there. Yet, Fredi did not budge. He kept Benitez in and the lead evaporates and becomes a 7-5 deficit.

Now, we could go on about how the Marlins threated to come back and that they made some noise but ultimately, they still choked. Then again, why blame it all on the team when it was clearly Benitez who couldn't do anything other then throw ropes at the plate.

Yet, even that wouldn't be right. Fredi Gonzalez never made a move. Never even blinked. Tommy Hutton, long time Marlins announcer, was on the border of criticizing Fredi but let's face it, the things he said on the air were scathing criticisms, if we want to twist words like media pundits do.

And all that criticism is worth it because the Marlins never got to keep that lead and really it shouldn't have gotten that bad. In the 7th Tank loaded up the bases and Gonzalez had nothing else better to do but trot out Justin Miller. And quicker than a case of beer at a frat party, the Freds bases-loaded threat was over.

Yet, in the 8th Fredi went too long with Benitez and it cost his team a win. The lack of direction and the unwillingness to embrace confrontation when needed is keeping Fredi from growing as a manager and retarding the growth of this young Marlins ballclub. Of that, I am totally convinced now.

Marlins Acquire Armando Benitez

An old familiar face returns to the Marlins. This time, it isn't a veteran outfielder or a starting pitcher, but a reliever that had arguably one of the most successful seasons as a reliever for the Marlins franchise. Back in 2004, Armando Benitez was practically unstoppable - he will try to do the same this season, three years later, upon his return.

The deal? Right now the details are not confirmed but it is reported to cost the Marlins Randy Messenger - a long time relief prospect for the Marlins that have left many in the Marlins braintrust wondering if he was going to ever pan out. Messenger's best chance of doing so seems to be this season, as his 2.44 ERA and 1.43 WHIP indicate he could be turning a corner.

Is this the right move for the Marlins?

First of all, it won't cost them much. The Giants are handcuffed and forced to deal Benitez mostly due to his alienating acts in the clubhouse, and are willing to eat up most of his $5M salary. And this is Benitez's last season - he is a free agent after 2007. Kind of like 2004, where he put together 47 saves in 51 appearances, and earned a big pay day as a result.

So, it is a walk year for the closer, and he will be looking to perform in order to get another big deal this offseason.

Also, Benitez, should he take over the closer's role again, will solidify the Marlins bullpen and as a result, their starting rotation. Owens is coming back, and Gregg is doing a nice job as the closer. Add Lindstrom to the mix as well as a rebounding Taylor Tankersley, and the Marlins have the makings of a tough bullpen that could be among the league's toughest coming down the stretch.

Consider also that the starting pitching should be getting Josh Johnson back in the near future, and could also be looking to add Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez as well. That means three starters - Byung Hyun Kim, Wes Obermueller and possibly Sergio Mitre - could all be bumped. This just adds even more depth to the Marlins pitching staff.

If the pitching can become more consistent, and catch up with the explosive offense, we could see the Marlins not only challenge for a wildcard spot, but possibly even the NL East crown. It will depend on how Benitez performs for the Marlins, but regardless, this move solidifies the Marlins bullpen and will help shorten the game for the starters.