It has to be hard to be a Miami Marlins fan. You know, if it already isn’t hard being one of a very small minority. Here the Marlins are in the first year with their fancy new stadium with brand new jerseys and a big payroll after a winter splurge.
The thing is, they haven’t done very well on the field of that new stadium – that is hideous, by the way – and now it looks like we’re in the midst of yet another Marlins fire sale.
First, they traded to Detroit Anibal Sanchez, one of Miami’s better starters this season, and Omar Infante, who instantly stepped in the Tigers lineup. That wasn’t so bad. The Marlins did land a nice prospect in return so it’s not like it hurt too bad.
Then, on Wednesday, we saw the first big deal: Hanley Ramirez was sent to the Dodgers along with Randy Choate for a couple of pitching prospects.
While you could argue that Ramirez hasn’t exactly been great for the past two seasons, this guy still has superstar pedigree. It was also no secret that he wasn’t happy moving to 3B to accommodate the signing of Jose Reyes this past off-season. This could easily explain his drop in form.
So that’s four of the better players that the Marlins have, that were supposed to lead this team to the playoffs, out the door in a matter of days. And after years of planning and waiting for a nice downtown stadium and a decent team, now everyone has to be disappointed.
Even worse, fans have to be wondering who will be next to get shipped out?
There are plenty of rumours that Josh Johnson is on the market, who is still a young and promising potential ace. There’s sometimes-closer Heath Bell, who was brought in this winter and has struggled mightily in south Florida.
And what about Carlos Lee? He has only played 16 games for the Marlins after being dealt to Miami by Houston a few weeks ago. Now, is there really a need for him on a team that’s rebuilding?
It’s shocking that in a matter of weeks a team can go from being a buyer to holding a fire sale. This kind of roller coaster really is fitting for a team that’s managed by Ozzie Guillen though, isn’t it?
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