Mike Berardino of the Sun-Sentinel provides some thoughts and insights on the Olsen/Hammer deal:

About that payroll dump so far:

the Fish have removed roughly $7 million from their books for 2009.

On what we got in return:

In return, they have brought in a cheap young setup man (Leo Nunez), a light-hitting second baseman with Gold Glove potential (Emilio Bonifacio) and a couple of decent low-level prospects who just finished their first full pro seasons (RHP P.J. Dean and IF Jake Smolinski).

What happens to Dan Uggla?

What about Dan Uggla and his $5 million projection? Juan Rodriguez was assured again Monday night — as I have been recently — that the Marlins have made it clear Uggla stays into next season.

What will happen to Bonifacio?

For now, look for Bonifacio to be sent down to Triple-A for a little more seasoning as the speedy switch-hitter in the Luis Castillo mode tries to get his bat going.

And on what to expect:

Something tells me, though, the Marlins aren’t quite done, that there will be an interesting addition or two at the end of this salary-shedding process.

Maybe a veteran catcher to handle all that fine young pitching? (Alas, it WON’T be Pudge Rodriguez, I’ve been told.) Maybe a proven corner outfielder with some sock? Maybe even a one-year closer to take the burden off Matt Lindstrom.

I’ve always thought ESPN was full of itself and overly obsessed with their own importance and insight, so I was very excited to look back at their predictions for the 2008 Florida Marlins. Now, I know that the Marlins performed better than we expected (81 wins with 6 games to go) but ESPN’s predictions were so dire that I want us all to read and laugh.

First, here is the view from Bob Klapisch:

The bigger problem is the bottom half of the batting order, which is filled with question marks and experiments. It’s no stretch projecting the Marlins in the last third of the NL in runs scored. (Bob Klapisch)

Next, let’s see the actual win/loss projections:

• Jayson Stark: 70-92, 5th in NL East
• Tim Kurkjian: 64-98, 5th in NL East
• Buster Olney: 68-94, 5th in NL East
• Keith Law: 68-94, 5th in NL East
• Steve Phillips: 66-96, 5th in NL East

You have to give Jayson Stark some credit. He’s only off by 11+ wins.

How about Jeremy Hermida? He was their sleeper:

Jeremy Hermida has fallen off a lot of fantasy radar screens, but remember, the former 11th overall pick is just 24 years old. After the All-Star break in ‘07, he hit .340/.401/.555, with a dramatically improved line-drive rate. A season-long line of .300/25/90 is possible.

Even when they got something right, they still screwed it up:

Don’t rely on Kevin Gregg to be a closer all year. Gregg earns the most money on this team, and has two more arbitration years ahead. The Marlins aren’t going anywhere, and they’ve got a bunch of power-arm closer replacements. Expect a midsummer trade.

or

Just as Cabrera will be missed, so will Willis, who gave the Marlins real mound presence and a legitimate chance to win every fifth day. There’s no such guarantee in the current rotation. Olsen has upside, but his ERA soared to 5.81 last year, the third season in a row that mark has increased. The league’s average against him ballooned from .239 to .315. Sergio Mitre is out until June with a forearm strain, opening the door for Volstad at the back end of the rotation. But his lack of major league experience will keep the Marlins from rushing him.

(For the record, Gregg performed well until August and most people who followed the Marlins knew that Dontrelle was sinking fast).

And please, don’t get me started with their fantasy stats projections: Jacobs with 13 HR, Cantu with 5 HR and 35 RBI, Ricky Nolasco with 5 wins.

Now, before you all begin to hammer me for, well, hammering ESPN, they did get a few things right, including:

Chris Volstad, a former first-rounder, throws an almost effortless 90-94 mph.

Bugs & Cranks takes a different approach towards the Jacque Jones rumors:

Florida Marlins, do not view these clubs as your peers. You have something they don’t from the 21st century: a World Series championship. So what if Josh Willingham’s health is suspect at this point? Call up Cameron Maybin! He needs a reason to get those braces off, why not make it a cup of coffee in the major leagues? Don’t stoop to the levels of lesser organizations. I tried really hard to write that with a straight face, it didn’t work. Give Cody Ross more playing time. Throw Wes Helms out there, he’ll do anything for those spicy nachos. Why settle for what another team with a bad record doesn’t want? Florida Marlins, you’re the team with the great record, so have some pride! If you want to bring in a veteran whose production at this point is suspect, I don’t know, try the guy sitting on your bench. The Albatross himself has got to be good for something.

Link:  Pump the Brakes!!!

Link:  Its Roster Is a Bargain, but Florida Is a Handful (New York Times)

Juan C. Rodriguez brings up some great points in his latest blog post. He talks about:

Little breaks not going our way:

At the very least, that well of little breaks the Marlins were dipping into during their seven-game winning streak appears dry. It happens to every team.

Missing injured players:

One thing that struck me Tuesday was how the Marlins may be starting to miss Mike Jacobs and Josh Willingham.

And potential to add another veteran:

Jacque Jones was placed on release waivers Tuesday and could be a free agent by Thursday.

We encourage you to read the post.

Local media, instead of unequivocally supporting the hometown team, again find the most inappropriate time to attack the team. After all, nothing helps a team desperately in need of public support more than a public attack on perhaps their most visible day of the year.

The Sun-Sentinel had an interesting take on last night’s exhibition game against the Yankees:

I’m pretty sure the headline is wrong. Here is what the Miami Herald said:

I wonder who got it right?

We kid of course. Unlike the headline, Juan C. Rodriguez’s article accurately captured the result of the game. The rest of the article though, hmm… Check out this nugget:

Either A-Rod was born in 1985 (rather than 1975) or the Marlins played in the NLDS against the Giants in 1987, before they existed. Maybe they meant yesterday’s starting pitcher, Andrew Miller, who attended the 2003 World Series. I’m sure it’s a common mistake to confuse Alex Rodriguez with Andrew Miller. Happened to me on my Fantasy Team. Maybe A-Rod plays for the Marlins now. We seem to remember covering it this past fall.

I’m sure by the time you read this, they fixed it. Don’t worry, we all make mistakes (thankfully, I’m a hack not a journalist).

I hopped in my car last night just in time to catch the segment about the Florida Marlins marketing tactics on NPR’s All Things Considered.

They call the Marlins marketing team the best in the game and spend quite a bit of time with the Marlins Manatees (accurately described as “fat guys with no dance experience”). Marlins VP of Marketing Sean Flynn also makes an appearance, highlighting all the marketing initiatives the team undertakes including the player autographs, the Marlins Mermaids, Super Saturdays and more. Flynn describes it best by saying (and I paraphrase): We’re not selling baseball… We are an entertainment property with core property of baseball.

Listen to the segment and enjoy the brief attention. They seem to downplay the two world championships and describes our trades resulting in “lesser and cheaper players” making it sound like Hanley and Cameron are nothing more than scrubs. It concludes with the question of whether a dozen fat men can change the team’s fortunes. But, as Marlins fans know, 25 athletic and talented men haven’t been able to change it either.

Deadspin’s take on the 2008 Florida Marlins.