So It’s Come To This: Marlins Shop Cabrera, Willis
November 7, 2007
The question was never really “if,” but rather, “when.”
And we got our answer: The “when” is this off-season.
Of course, I’m talking about the Marlins looking to trade Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, the two players most closely identified with the franchise at this time. It was bound to happen, and only the rose-colored glasses-wearing fans could see it any other way. Until this team gets a stadium, don’t look for any long-term deals for anyone. That includes Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, and whatever other future hero will come down the pike in South Florida.
That’s the philosophy of this franchise, as echoed by GM Larry Beinfest during the General Managers Meetings this week: No long-term contracts, when players get too expensive, trade them for young, cheap talent and repeat ad nauseum. The thinking is that hey, it worked in 2003, it should work for the future as well. The question is, would a World Series (or just a playoff appearance) every few years make up for not having a player you can count on being in Florida year after year?
By now, everyone knows the philosophy of the team, and right now, there are a lot of fans complaining about getting rid of Cabrera and Willis. Okay, Willis not so much. But on a team that has a history of young pitchers getting injured, can the Fish afford to bounce their one pitcher they can count on going 200 innings? Of course, Willis did have a brutal year last year and it seems the pinnacle of his worth has passed.
With Cabrera, it’s a different story. This kid is a future hall-of-famer with great power and charisma, both needed in the South Florida market to attract fans. And therein lies the problem: He’s playing himself out of a Marlins uniform.
I’ve been a Marlins front-office supporter through thick and thin and I’ll admit it will be tough if Cabs and D-Train go. The national media will have a field day, and once again Marlins fans will have to weather the storm of pundits calling this a minor-league franchise. Sorry, I just don’t buy into the “Loria is evil” mantra.
The next few weeks is when we’ll see where the Marlins fans lie. At this point, they know how it’s going to be. Who jumps ship and who doesn’t? As for me: Yeah, trading Cabrera and Willis will hurt, but come April, I’ll be wearing a hat with the Marlin jumping through the “F” no matter what.
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