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THOMAS JOSEPH

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Everything posted by THOMAS JOSEPH

  1. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I believe Norby, Stowers, DLS, Ramirez, and others' development will be largely due to the low-pressure atmosphere in Miami. They should have time and the ABs. Moreover, there's much to say about competitive windows when a young, talented team matures together.
  2. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Well done. I appreciate the tangible things as well as the perceptions.
  3. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I am fighting cynicism over the HOF process. I suppose one should not let a less-than-perfect system be an obstacle to enjoyment. Trying hard.
  4. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I am high on Stowers. He will settle in and be an excellent player for the Marlins.
  5. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I plan to drive down to Jupiter for the last week of February to catch a few games and see the NRIs this year.
  6. THOMAS JOSEPH
    "... ultimately, the key to sustainable winning is player development." Amen. It's the only way that is under direct team control barring a Cohen clone owner. I will also add two other systemic keys: MLB must make significant changes in the CBA for the sustainability of low-revenue teams after the 2026 season and develop a solid television scheme for the future as a corollary to that new Agreement,
  7. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Somewhat curious, to say the least.
  8. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Thanks for the compilation.
  9. THOMAS JOSEPH
    There's no value in commenting on possible other deals declined by the Marlins or the value of the return pieces. I must rely on FOF and the Marlins' brain trust. I'm not upset, though, especially after reading the article. The intra-divisional issue isn't a big deal anymore. Moving McIntosh is reasonable given the Hicks acquisition, who will almost certainly be the backup catcher to Fortes. I like the singlemindedness of the Bendix regime. As mentioned on the podcast, the team is moving as they think best regardless of optics - not trying to assuage fans. This is the correct approach. Take the hits and move on with the plan. Lastly, it is obvious to me that the Marlins expect the post-2026 season CBA will likely result in work stoppage and major changes to the current system. They will be in decent financial; shape then to weather the storm, with the Garcia contract paid out and the first Stanton installment done.
  10. THOMAS JOSEPH
    While it's not up to me to exonerate you, I certainly understand! For Fish on First and as a huge fan, I don't see any reason to apologize. This is, admittedly, self-serving, since my own stats were also prodigious. When I am in Louisville, the Reds are blacked out. When in Jacksonville, it's the Marlins. Of course, I watch the local channels for Marlins coverage. So, as my baseball intake is not fully summarized by the MLB.TV recap. I watch Western time zone games after the Marlins play or catch other Eastern time zone games when the Marlins are out west. Moreover, I must add in my in-person attendance at Great American, loanDepot, Louisville Slugger Field, and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Grounds to round out the picture of baseball immersion. All told, even the few Marlins games I missed were deliberate. Yes, I am a stubborn bas***d, and will not watch the Dodgers under any circumstances, including any games with the Marlins. It's cathartic. In an alternate universe, I'd be a Rays or Astros fan, two well-run organizations. I always checked in on the Angels, as I have an old connection to them from Expos great Bill Stoneman's GM days. MLB.TV is a fine value for me, enhanced by the MiLB, AFL, and Dominican League availability. For 2025, presumptuously (since I am old), I have no plans to change and I bet you don't, either! Cheers.
  11. THOMAS JOSEPH
    If Luzardo is kept when the season starts, I have a good feeling about it. Frankly, I am excited by the potential starting staff, even before Perez's return. It reminds me of the Expos in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They had a strong group of starters that kept the Expos in every game, combined with excellent defense. As the offensive matured and the team grew together organically under Felipe Alou, the 1993 season was amazing. Of course, the fantastic 1994 team was 74-40 when the strike hit. Of course, I realize the Marlins are not close to the offensive powerhouse yet, but the resurgent farm system speaks to a fine group maturing as a team together, creating the window for years. The young, strong starting pitching is the Marlins' foundation and its edge during this time of thin starter ranks in MLB. Accordingly, things are not as dark as many believe,
  12. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Play the young guys. Stay with the plan. leave the castoffs for others and build a tight-knit team.
  13. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Fingers crossed for the starters listed - key to the season such as it is lining up now, I think it is safe to assume.
  14. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Perhaps.
  15. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I think the question you posed in the first paragraph is reasonable. While I don't believe the Soto signing directly moved the Marlins, surely the brain trust has a multi-year plan in mind in which Burger's presence was overridden by (hopefully) filling the team's many needs. I hate to lose him, especially when he is so amenable to his circumstances, is so cheap, and the trade further exacerbates fan perceptions that the organization is dysfunctional. Still, we have no choice except to believe that the big picture will come into focus starting in 2025. We'll see many players who fit into the designed plan get ABs and innings. Some will be evaluated, some showcased, and all will audition for their futures. If anything, as we cringe with what might be, baseball is often counterintuitive. This past season, the Royals and the A's overachieved. Circumstances are always different, of course, but those of us who stay with the Marlins are on the Bendix Express. He's flying it and we better hope he is competent. I, for one, am fascinated to see this near-total remake play out.
  16. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Interesting. More confidence in Bride than we thought, perhaps, and an indication that DLS is heavily in the mix, I suspect.
  17. THOMAS JOSEPH
    These things fall under the "Serenity Prayer" title. The so-called slot money is insane. Doesn't the entire Marlins roster, save Sandy Alcántara, make less than six million dollars a year? What a microcosm of the MLB system.
  18. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I saw Ely's associated X post on this subject and the replies were right on point. Even for the crazies who think Sherman and his group are pulling $30 or $40 million a year out the Marlins, which is utterly ludicrous, the term of Soto's deal alone negates any chance that sixty percent of the league could even consider such a risk. We see what happens when a single player (or two) devastates a team's chances of a decade. The Angels' heavyweight triumvirate of Pujols, Rendon, and Trout is a compilation of horrendous decisions. Miguel Cabrera's abominable extension in Detroit cost them $40m PER WAR over the better part of a decade. For low-revenue teams, such top-heavy foolishness is easy to spot - such as Votto in Cincinnati. Anyone who thinks the Reds ownership doesn't wish they could turn back time to 2016 and trade him for a savings of $150m is not dealing in reality. Some future HOF cap for $150m? Uh, no. that's a killer for a team like Cincinnati and it showed. Can the Yankees handle a Stanton deal? Yes, obviously. The top six or seven teams are able to consider these deals and no one else. So, as Ely noted on X, the upcoming CBA is the line in the sand for not only competitiveness, put sustainability of the league on real terms. Unless, of course, the top owners want an incestuous, significantly boring, contracted league. I know the MLBPA doesn't. The post-2026 season CBA fight will be quite epic with high probability of work stoppage or a missed season. There is no more time to kick the proverbial can down the road.
  19. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Third coaching staff is the charm?
  20. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Number one pick only $759 million less than the great Soto (genuflect). LOL.
  21. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Thanks for the updates and summary. Wondering if you saw David Samson's Soto take today? Perhaps I was not perceptive, but I thought he both acknowledged the gross systemic inequity in MLB while defending it as the preferred (pure capitalist) path. He does end with a statement that the low-revenue teams have the votes to effectuate change in the owners' position after the 2026 season as the CBA war starts. Frankly, there's no more time or reason to kick the can down the road. It's time for a reckoning with the runaway owners and the MLBPA. Are there any creative minds out there in both camps? Are the players going to be dominated by the top ten percent of big earners? The answers: are "no" and "yes," respectively. Accordingly, things appear quite bleak at this point. Although we shouldn't totally despair, it's ok for Marlins fans (and fans of the other low-revenue teams) to be deflated today.
  22. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Maybe, there will be a movie in the future touting the Marlins' innovations (and successes). We'll need a wider lens.
  23. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Thank you for your insights, and you also make solid points. I only played through college, so my experience is limited, and it was 50 years ago. The pitching velocity issue is, for sure, a significant factor. Perhaps the length and amount of baseball in a season is also substantial, but this hasn't changed much since my time. The same number of games and ST, except some additional playoffs, granted. With the DH, pitchers aren't batting, of course. Yet, many of the defensive plays in every game involving pitchers end up with medical staff on the field. Bunts, covering first, you name it. Unfortunately, I simply do not buy the "better" players. In truth, equipment, training, nutrition, specialized coaching, medical care, and even playing field quality/care/safety measures are better than ever. Pitching velocity and home runs have increased, yet we must consider whether these are good things, especially the velocity contribution to injuries you mentioned. The reduced game times may result in fewer injuries, as you noted, but I would wager this will not be the case. A lot of it is a big change in team strategy because of player contract costs. That is true. Yet, even with all these things and the "savior" DH, league averages aren't improving in the face of the pitching fiasco, and, to the theme of this discussion, players are not more durable despite all their advantages. Then there are the player entitlement and attitude problems of modern players, which is, of course, a microcosm of the overall society.
  24. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Alcántara's contract looks fantastic.
  25. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I love the roster tool. Well done!
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