Marlins Win Arbitration Case Against Gregg

Newly acquired reliever Kevin Gregg went up against the Marlins in arbitration on Monday, but lost. Not a bad way to start your career with your new employer - in court.

Gregg will now earn $575,000 this season instead of the $700,000 he was seeking in arbitration.

The Marlins acquired Gregg from the Angels for Chris Resop, and will look to land a spot in the bullpen. He could pitch in a set up role, long relief or even compete for the team's vacant closer role.

Pitchers and catchers will report this Saturday, to Roger Dean Stadium to begin Spring Training.

Cabrera Explains His Absence

And so the drama continues...

It seems that the Marlins front office, more specifically David Samson, was trying to smear Miguel Cabrera. In a statement, trying to preserve his image to the fans, he stated, "I'd already [set aside] that date for an appointment related to my father's health. The Marlins informed me just a week before the festival and I couldn't cancel my meeting, and that's what I told my agents."

Whether or not the Marlins front office had prior knowledge of this remains to be seen, but there isn't any reason for Miguel or his people to lie about this.

Still, with arbitration set for tomorrow, Cabrera does not seem to be taking this badly. "My absence had nothing to do with the pending arbitration, because neither the Marlins nor me believe in the process. It's purely a business issue and I understand it perfectly," he said.

He seems to be geniunely concerned with his image, "I'm not mad with the administration, although I'm a little worried that Miami fans could now have a distorted image of myself. I'm committed to doing the best for the team."

Whatever disappointment fans or even Beinfest and Samson could have felt, they should definetly feel better about the things Cabrera has said. Was there a smear attempt in place? It's probable, and if that is the case it is exhibit Z as to why Samson needs to be fired. Miguel Cabrera, whether the brass likes it or not, is the future of this franchise. If anyone crosses him, they need to be dealt with - seriously. This kid is the best young prospect in baseball and is putting up yearly MVP numbers. It is in the Marlins best interest to keep him happy and in Miami for as long as they can.

It's Arbitration for Cabrera

"You say neither, I say neither, let's call the whole thing off..."

Ok, not as poignant if you can't actually hear the words being said, but neither (or neither!) is this whole arbitration process. I have to admit, as a fan, this is a look-the-other-way situation. Especially when it comes down to one of your favorite players and the management of your favorite team. It's like a big fight between your parents, it leaves no one as the winner.

Yet, here it is, Miguel wants $7.4M and the Marlins are only willing to offer $6.7M at this point. The difference is only 700K, and when you are talking about figures this high, that is only (at most) a 9% difference. And that is what seperates the two sides and why arbitration is being called for.

The real question is, is it worth it for the Marlins to get cheap with their best player and arguably, one of the best talents in all of Major League Baseball?

I mean, imagine the Yankees in this situation - they lock up Miguel for at least another three years and don't scoff at another 700K. Neither would the Mets, the Red Sox, the Angels, White Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, or practically anyone else not named Pittsburgh or Kansas City.

Yes, 700K is important to the Marlins who don't have deep pockets because of bad revenue as well as limited revenue streams. Not to mention, the owners don't have deep pockets to begin with. This is also the same ownership who has been willing to shell out money before for high risk situations. Like signing Pudge Rodriguez or Al Leiter to deals. The former worked out amazingly, winning a World Series title, the latter - not so much.

This 700K would have shown Miguel immense gratitude. Heck, don't go all the way and offer 7.1M instead at least.

What is even more perplexing is what if the Marlins lose the arbitration case? They will have to pay the 700K they were trying to negotiate out of in the first place. Some might say the reason the Marlins didn't land a CFer, say Shannon Stewart for example, is because of the hold up with this case. The Marlins are really pinching pennies here, trying to make a final push for a stadium.

In the past, I have been very supportive of this ownership group and denying the claims by other cynics of this group. Yet, there is some validity to the shallow pockets the Marlins are being forced to work with. Miguel Cabrera is one of the premier talents in MLB and one of the brightest young talents in all of sports. Here in Miami, we get the privilege to watch Dwyane Wade, Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera develop into superstars and champions. To let any of them go because of a small percentage of money would be foolish.

Of course, the Marlins do control Miguel's contract for another three years.

The feathers have been ruffled already. For the Marlins Fan Fest, there was one noticeable person missing - Miguel. Perhaps it is because he is currently not under contract with the Marlins.

"[Owner] Jeffrey [Loria] and the organization are very disappointed Miguel isn't here," Samson said. "He should have been here with his teammates, there is no question about that. It's a shame for all the fans who wanted to see him."

David Samson should have kept his mouth shut. If anything, the Marlins brass seems schizophrenic at times, straddling the line of goodwill and class and that of brashness. Beinfest seems to have the proper perspective citing this as part of the business and showing no ill-will towards Miguel.

And that is where the criticism will fall for the Marlins: not towards the product on the field, but those who watch over it off the field. The Loria/Girardi situation did not leave a good taste in anyone's mouth. They better not dare make that mistake here with Miguel - he is far too important for this still young franchise.

MarlinsNation.com improved!

Well, we have been active, despite the blog side of things. Our forums continue to bustle with activity.

But we are making a few improvements, one of which is hosting the blog on our URL. This will allow for future upgrades for the site, but also make it more accessible to search engines.

Stay tuned...

Marlins grab offseason hardware

Miguel Cabrera earned himself a Silver Slugger award for thirdbase and now Hanley Ramirez becomes the 2006 NL Rookie of the year.

And that last bit of info could be classified as a bit of a surprise, considering the accomplishments of his teammates, Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, Dan Uggla, Anibal Sanchez and Josh Willingham among them. In fact, just as impressive is where these rookies all finished up in the voting - Uggla 3rd, Johnson 4th, Olsen 10th, Sanchez 11th and Willingham 12th. Mike Jacobs put together a solid year, in his first of starting duty as well.

But it is Hanley Ramirez that comes away with the ROY hardware, showing a blend of speed and power this season while putting on a slick fielding display that shows he is a promising two way star for this franchise.

Congratulations to both Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera for their accomplishments. And congratulations to the other Marlins who placed in the rookie standings with their strong showing. This was quite a season for the Marlins as they fielded a major league record of rookies and even saw 4 of their rookie starters grab double digit wins in their first year (Olsen, Sanchez, Johnson and Nolasco).