Possibilities

Hey Guys,

At least we had a little action today, with Denard Span signing on with the SF Giants. 3 years/$31 million is the reported deal. For the Giants sake, I hope Span stays healthy......but don't hold your breath....He's taking another physical before they make it official.

The Span signing takes the Giants out of the "Cespedes/Upton Sweepstakes". Personally, I thought San Fran was a great landing spot for Cespedes.....He would have been a "bigger and better version" of the Michael Morse addition a couple years back. Also, he probably would have made the Giants the front-runners to finish 1st in the West.....especially considering the additions of Samardzija and Cueto earlier this winter.

The Mets announced today that their budget for 2016 will end up at about $115 million, and they are already at $106.5 million. That would sure seem to take them out of the running for a Cespedes and/or Upton addition this winter.

Now.....this article needs to be about the Marlins, so let me "make the connection".......

With Span signing in SF, and the Mets out of the hunt as well, it just might open a door for the Marlins, if Loria is willing to open the checkbook. He's already working hard to trade Ozuna for a pitcher (in my earlier blog). 

NL East Race:
1). The Mets have great pitching, but are going to piece together a lineup behind them. I think they are going to have trouble contending after losing Murphy and Cespedes.
2). The Nats added Murphy, but still have not added a CF (Taylor is still developing), and Werth turns 37 this year, and only played 88 games last year. They lost Zimmermann, Fister, Desmond, and a couple RP's. They missed out on Heyward, Chapman, and Kimbrel.....and still have Storen & Papelbon at the back of the Pen. They'll be good, and they may win the division.....but they need to add another piece to dominate (Justin Upton or Cespedes in the OF.......or Chris Davis if he doesn't stay in Baltimore). They're looking at Parra, so I think they are out on the Big 3 as well.
3). The Braves........well, they won't be contending in 2016.
4). The Phillies........They won't be either

So, with all of that news, I'd sure like to see Loria take a shot at glory, and sign Cespedes to a 5/110 contract, with an opt-out after 2 and 4 years. It puts the Marlins in a position to steal 2nd Place in the division, and contend for a wild-card berth! He's not opposed to signing expensive players for a short haul. This is the perfect opportunity!!!

I think we'll have some answers by the time Monday rolls around. I expect a very busy "signing" weekend. Time will tell.........

From the Bleachers,
Montu