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THOMAS JOSEPH

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Everything posted by THOMAS JOSEPH

  1. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Here in snowy Louisville, I'm dreaming every day of my Spring Training visit to Jupiter at the end of February. Just a little sunshine and pleasant temps, please. Go Fish!
  2. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Well done. Even if many think 2025 is a total writeoff, it's a significant foundational year for the many young hitters, a broad rebound year for the starters, earning jobs, and coalescing the team.
  3. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Although he doesn't have the career of the others listed, Oller was already here and obviously quite I n expensive.
  4. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Excellent opportunities for some of the young pitchers to shine.
  5. THOMAS JOSEPH
    This is unfortunate news. Cabrera is needed more than ever. As with our young hitters, there are clear opportunities for the young pitchers. As a backup, perhaps Oller is still available. Lol.
  6. 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.
  7. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Well done. I appreciate the tangible things as well as the perceptions.
  8. 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.
  9. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I am high on Stowers. He will settle in and be an excellent player for the Marlins.
  10. 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.
  11. 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,
  12. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Somewhat curious, to say the least.
  13. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Thanks for the compilation.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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,
  17. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Play the young guys. Stay with the plan. leave the castoffs for others and build a tight-knit team.
  18. 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.
  19. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Perhaps.
  20. 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.
  21. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Interesting. More confidence in Bride than we thought, perhaps, and an indication that DLS is heavily in the mix, I suspect.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Third coaching staff is the charm?
  25. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Number one pick only $759 million less than the great Soto (genuflect). LOL.
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