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THOMAS JOSEPH

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Everything posted by THOMAS JOSEPH

  1. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I love the Marlins' outfield depth. It's great to have it at other positions now, as well.
  2. THOMAS JOSEPH
    It's understandable for a rookie manager to make mistakes. There's no reason to expect otherwise. Regarding Schumaker, the best to him. Seems like a good fellow, but Texas has the same chance to win with him as with anyone else. He won't make the difference. Luzardo had a good year, so did the Phillies. But only one team wins, of course. As fans, we grab onto encouraging stats, but regular season wins are just hope for fans of better things and financial benefits from any increased attendance. I never sweat trades. Not only is every trade a decision made at a point in time, but we can't tell the future not do we have all the information teams have.
  3. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Remarkable. This leads me to recall the "Island of Misfit Toys" line and context from the movie, Moneyball.
  4. THOMAS JOSEPH
    That was fun to watch - thanks!
  5. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Perhaps Hernández is a possible move to first base?
  6. THOMAS JOSEPH
    It's fun to speculate. As for me, definitely against adding any declining veterans (like Goldschmidt) that take ABs away from our developing talent. That's a regression, a return to conventional piecemeal thinking. It's the lazy plug-and-play mediocrity epitomized by teams like the Angels, Pirates, and many other perennial underachievers. In addition to retarding long-term development by removing invaluable playing time, those mediocre and declining players are also more expensive, usually more prone to injury. I wrote before that I don't buy the famous Ron Washington "it's incredibly hard" warning about first base. If it's not Ramírez, let the baseball guys put their collective minds together, pick one or two options, and get the freaking coaching to work. We have one coach for every two players, and still, everyone's panties get in a bunch over teaching professional, world-class athletes to do anything. Is the game's difficulty augmented by ineffective teaching and/or uncoachable players? If so, add those issues to the work-in-progress list, Mr. Bendix. While we're on the subject of ineffective coaching and/or uncoachable players, what's the answer? Every single game, we still see players watching long fly balls that end up in play, and bases are lost. Coasting into second so that outfield misplays cannot be capitalized upon. Players continuously over-sliding headfirst and then being tagged out. Gyrations, wiggling, and gesturing over a freaking single in the seventh inning with their team down five runs. Running into outs at third with the ball in front of them. Luckily, though, MLB players lead the world in earrings, jewelry, and neck tattoos that more than compensate for their increasingly glaring lack of basic skills and execution.
  7. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I saw on Spotrac that the Rangers had $150m committed to 2026. - very top-heavy team with Seager, Semien, DeGrom, Eovaldi, and a ridiculous Joc Pederson deal. My flippant prediction is that the Rangers aren't going anywhere, with Skip or anyone else at the helm.
  8. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Assuming the Marlins are not keeping the current first base triumvirate, and they will not sign a FA, Ramírez seems like the logical move to first base. Who else might be an internal option, especially with all the quality outfield depth?
  9. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I only know what I read and see, but do we think it's smart to go to Venezuela now?
  10. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Schumaker has his next gig, I see. The Rangers are an interesting case, ranking seventh in MLB payroll this year and being decidedly disappointing. There are lots of big names and big contracts. If I read Spotrac correctly, the team has only $131 in 2026 commitments. So, we can figure on quite a few moves going into the final season before the CBA. So, quite a different situation than Miami. Nothing against Schumaker, wish him well, but "good" managers may bring the equivalent of a "WAR" or two, with the rarest of exceptions, my opinion. Which is, of course, one of the big reasons why it is easy to part ways with them. PS - I bet that the Marlins will outclass the Rangers in 2026 at half the price.
  11. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I hear you. I could definitely live with the Mariners taking the title. You know, a Mariners - Brewers World Series would have the additional benefit of riling the hell out of MLB and the networks. Count me in! Cheers.
  12. THOMAS JOSEPH
    A fine summation here. Congrats to Mr. Chao. I'm told that, as a Marlins fan, our expectations are low, so a third-place finish is exciting. Far from simply a low expectation high, you recounted the reasons for our excitement now and optimism for the future. Thank you for another season of first-class coverage.
  13. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I don't consider this personally. For me, it's first about teams that I cannot countenance under any circumstances (Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies), teams and cities that deserve a smackdown (Cubs/Chicago, Toronto/Blue Jays), and then acceptables. The Mariners as a team are ok, but Seattle is a flat no-go. They will get nothing with their Starbucks, and like it. Without both no-go factors, the Mariners are my AL World Series preference by default. In the NL, this leaves the Milwaukee Brewers. While Milwaukee is a sh*t-show city, aren't they all? The Brewers are, however, a well-run mid-revenue organization without a title. The Brewers are the most acceptable overall choice now that the Reds have been eliminated. (PS - Not virtue signaling, but I won't watch the playoffs or World Series in any case.)
  14. THOMAS JOSEPH
    How to improve in this tenuous year before the CBA? Look at all internal options for first base before signing a middling free agent. No preconceptions because we have already seen so many of them fall by the wayside. Promote Mack as the everyday backstop, a significant improvement at backstop. Work the Bendix magic for the bullpen corps. Who will be the next Tinoco or Hernández? Hope that Nardi and Garrett return for the 2026 campaign. Lastly, while he is high-value and healthy, move Cabrera. After the CBA turmoil is over, the Marlins should be in excellent shape, with a very nice window built around the young core of position players and a top starting staff. Let's hope that this time, if the owners are smart, the new agreement will finally include systemic changes that will benefit the Marlins and other lower-revenue teams.
  15. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Solid observations. I previously wrote on this site that I thought this was a near ebullient Bendix. He seemed more relaxed, perhaps vindicated by the overachieving Marlins. I guess he was relieved to fulfill Sherman's "we'll win more games" quip, and no one can fault Bendix for any of those feelings whatsoever!
  16. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Amen and right on. You and I know that many New York sports fans are quite dismissive of other cities and their sports teams, almost to the point of pure disrespect. It's not a becoming trait. Personally, I am pulling for the Brewers to win their first WS title, with Toronto as the fallback. As long as the Dodgers, Phillies, or Yankees don't win, I can live with any of the other teams.
  17. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Perhaps it's misplaced, but Bendix looked and sounded more confident this time. Nothing like big progress on the field, some on-target decisions, and the return of top pitching health to brighten one's spirits. I'm not saying he is feeling his oats, as they used to say, but he most certainly has a measure of vindication after near-universal low expectations and even scorn for the dearth of conventional deals. Despite the incessant drumbeat about payroll, the near-religious certainty that high-priced, long-term FA signings are the answer, Bendix is proceeding and succeeding. The lowest-spending team in play come late September, four games from a Wild Card, ready reinforcements on the farm, and while it's best player is on the shelf. Yes, it's exciting and, franky, cause for a bit of delightful smugness.
  18. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Some thoughts here. No one can tell the future, however, the consensus outlook for the CBA is ominous. Combine that with the usual and necessary Marlins frugality, I figure any FA deal is unlikely or only for the 2026 season. Trading Cabrera at high value and while healthy, perhaps the deal will be sweetened with an outfielder, seems logical to me. Both positions have abundant options. If we agree that first base needs an upgrade, who can the Marlins target? Although we can name any number of affordable options, returning to my first statement pushes me to the conclusion that there will be internal options. Ramírez is the obvious, despite Bendix's proclamation. I don't really buy the iconic Ron Washington "it's incredibly hard" comment about first base. The team has time, a plethora of coaches, and an elite athletic foundation to build upon. Like many of us, De los Santos was the fast answer for the future first baseman. That's dimmed quite a bit.
  19. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I wasn't in Jacksonville as long this year (during the baseball season), and only saw four games at VyStar. One thing I might suggest is a Marlins program for Jumbo Shrimp fan caravans/coach packages to Miami. There's a lot of optimism and interest with all the good, recent players that have come through Jax to Miami. It's a decent haul to LDP, but it might be a start of more statewide draw to Marlins home games.
  20. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Simply out, a clear cut Bendix win..
  21. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Don La Greca's rant to Mets fans and the team's tepid response to their lost season was hilarious. It had a big focus on criticisms of the Marlins. Still, he couldn't help himself from the usual condescending anti-Marlins blather. That included a spiel that the Marlins are (paraphrasing) hopeless, and the players know that they are hopeless, hence the Mets series was the Marlin "Super Bowl." Accordingly, I savor the knockout series he laments AND will relish another Yankee playoff failure here shortly.
  22. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I'm not qualified to do McCullough's job, of course, but I'm like most fans who are won't to second- guess. That won't change. Now that the ship is in port for the season, I'll chime in that our rookie captain did a nice job of navigating.
  23. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Bendix must balance team cohesion with his incremental improvement strategy. Even if we disagree with specific moves or non-moves, the roster fluidity seems likely to be the norm. If it's working...
  24. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Interestingly, the new Rays ownership group includes the owner of the Jumbo Shrimp - Ken Babby. In fact, I heard he was spearheading the stadium project for the Rays. I assume there are no issues with that vis-à-vis minor league teams under his control with non-Rays affiliations.
  25. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Give him whatever moniker you like, Alcántara is an anchor, a leader, and, perhaps most importantly for the Marlins, committed by contract and by his heart. Given the apparent starting pitching logjam, I would much rather move Cabrera while he is healthy and productive. It removes what seems like a recurring Sword of Damocles with his health, frees up a spot in the rotation with many suitors, and keeps Sandy in the fold as the éminence grise of the staff - for Eury, Snelling, White, and any others.
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