Bobby Valentine in talks with Marlins

[PatsNats28]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4529494

At a time when Bobby Valentine has begun the process of talking with teams about a possible return as a manager in Major League Baseball, sources said he is in communication with the Florida Marlins about a possible position with that team -- less than eight months after Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez received a two-year extension.

Gonzalez, 45, has managed the Marlins the last two seasons after replacing Joe Girardi, and Florida has contended in both years. Gonzalez was named The Sporting News Manager of the Year in 2008. Gonzalez agreed to a two-year extension with the Marlins in spring training, and he is signed through the 2011 season.

However, there has been concern on the coaching staff this week after they were told that no decision has been made about whether to bring them back for 2010. Jeffrey Loria, the Marlins' owner, is meeting with club executives after the end of the regular season.

Valentine, 59, has managed the Texas Rangers for eight seasons and the Mets from 1996-2002, and over the last six seasons he has managed the Chiba Lotte Marines. Valentine recently returned to ESPN as a baseball analyst. He is a possible candidate for openings with both the Cleveland Indians and Washington.

[PatsNats28]

wrong forum, chief/tom can you move this to out of town?

[KnorrForYourMoney]

nooooooo

well, here's hoping for Showalter

[UMDNats]

all the good managers will go to other teams and we'll end up with riggleman or some second-rate guy

[NatsAddict]

It's sounding like Valentine will be in, or even if not, Fredi is out.

It sounds like Jim "Girardi's Revenge" Presley is finally out as the strikeout/GIDP coach.

Beinfest should be gone, but he'll be back making horrendous trades and signing no talent pitchers again next year.  His keeping Hermida alone should have gotten him fired.  Neither Samson, Loria, or Fredi wanted him, and Beinfest kept him anyway.  Oh, Arthur Rhodes sucks and Reynel Pinto is The Man!

[JMW4th]

wild card contenders with the smallest payroll in all of team sports. please stop it natsaddict.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

So this article basically says yet another team is interested, but not a final destination. I would love to wake up one morning and find an article saying the Nationals have contacted Valentine, but I know they like to be hush-hush.

[GMUNat]

Would you be interested in Freddi Gonzalez if he was let go? Since when did the Marlins expect to go the playoffs every year with their awful payroll?

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Would you be interested in Freddi Gonzalez if he was let go? Since when did the Marlins expect to go the playoffs every year with their awful payroll?

I would.  Didn't he get a lot better this year as a manager?  NatsAddict?

[sportsfan882]

No. He's as bad as Acta.

[GMUNat]

No. He's as bad as Acta.

Acta- .299 win percentage
Gonzalez- .537 win percentage

The difference between the 2 over a full season is 38.6 wins. I don't think the Marlins talent was that much better than our talent other than their starting rotation.

[DPMOmaha]

I don't think the Marlins talent was that much better than our talent other than their starting rotation.

Uhhh, well, yeah, that seems like a big difference to me.

[GMUNat]

Uhhh, well, yeah, that seems like a big difference to me.

Ricky Nolasco was struggling for most of the season. They only had 3 starters with an ERA of under 4.75: Johnson, Sanchez, Vandenhurk (only 11 starts). Other than Johnson, the rotations were pretty similar. Also, the Marlins Bullpen was pretty inconsistent.

[NatsAddict]

I would.  Didn't he get a lot better this year as a manager?  NatsAddict?

He's not a genius, but he definitely has improved.  Lineups and misuse of the pen are his shortfalls, but the other essential managerial skills are there.  He handled Uggla going flaming assh*le incident perfectly.

I don't think the Marlins talent was that much better than our talent other than their starting rotation.

Of the Marlins starters this year, Johnson was the only one not to be so miserable at some point that he was sent down.  The starting rotation was a huge disappointment, though Nolasco came back decent.  Volstad went an entire year without getting a ball below belt high.  Anibal Sanchez has now put forth more innings than anyone following labrum surgery, but the lack of control and those games with 8 walks....  Andrew Miller pitches as if he's been out drinking with the player for which he was obtained.  In any decent organization, Sean West would have spent the entire season in the minors.

For closers, Lindstrom's fastball moves less than 2 inches, and though it's the best pitch in his repertoire, he can't throw it for strikes.  Nunez came in to close the second half and shattered the major league record for giving up HR to the first batter he faced (7 or 8, I forget).

Sidenote:  Beinfest indicated today that Nolasco will not be offered arby. 

[sportsfan882]

sweet. Does that mean Nolasco is up for trade? We will take him off your hands for a fair price.

[Nathan]

sweet. Does that mean Nolasco is up for trade? We will take him off your hands for a fair price.

Hell yes.

[NatsAddict]

sweet. Does that mean Nolasco is up for trade? We will take him off your hands for a fair price.

If he's not offered arby, depending on where Elias rates him, the fair price could be nada.

[NatsAddict]

Here are the reactions of some of the local sportswriters:

Neither does Valentine suffer fools gladly, which would make for high comedy on a regular basis.

This is rich, and it'd be funny as well if it weren't so miserably imperious.
...
Loria's pomposity is revealing itself. Again.

Palm Beach Post

Jeffrey Loria has officially become a meddler.

And not just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill delusional owner who wants so badly to win that he will more than occasionally make a mockery of his organization.

No, Loria would be worse. He would be the delusional owner who wants to win so badly that he makes a mockery of his organization -- but doesn't spend any money in the process.

He's a persistent beggar and a demanding chooser. He's George Steinbrenner with an empty wallet.

Miami Herald

Management failed to provide what the Marlins needed to get to 90-plus wins and try to steal a playoff spot: a veteran starting pitcher who could eat up innings and rest the bullpen. You can blame Larry Beinfest for not pulling the trigger but, for me, it always goes above him.

And if Jeffrey Loria believed this was a playoff team without that reinforcement, he was delusional. The problem now is that, even if Gonzalez returns, he has been weakened by this uncertainty.

Ownership always has the right to make a change.

But what the Marlins need most is a change in ownership.

Sun-Sentinel

I love the Steinbrenner reference from the Herald.  0-3 in support for Loria.  Zilch. Nada.  Needless to say, the firing of a Cuban-American manager by a "pompous" cheap-a$$ New York art dealer with hideous taste isn't going over well in Miami.

[sportsfan882]

The NJ trade ends up working for the Nats since you guys fail to make the playoffs. Aaron Thompson is going to be decent.

Any chance Florida re-signs Nick Johnson?

[NatsAddict]

NJ is in talks, but he'd have to take the maximum paycut to have any chance.  Most likely, he's gone.  Right now the consensus opening day lineup seems to be along the lines of:

C - Baker
1B - Sanchez
2B - Bonifacio/Cantu
SS - Hanley
3B - Cantu/Helms
LF - Coghlan (looking likely to be ROY this year)
CF - Maybin/Ross
RF - Ross/Stanton

Bench:
Gload (1B corner OF)
Helms (corner IF) - along with Gload, set MLB record for PH this year
Carroll (any OF - SI or somebody rated best OF arm in MLB, but no bat to go with it)
Amezaga (2B, SS, 3B, and all OF)/Bonifacio (2B, SS, 3B, LF)
C (Paulino is probably out due to $)

If Helms starts, Bonifacio and Amezaga on bench.  If Helms not start, Beinfest will give Boni nod over Amezaga

I agree with most that Stanton will spend most of next year in the minors, but it will be his last season with any time in the minors.

I had earlier predicted a $10 million increase in salary for next year, but now it looks like it will go down even though by far already lowest in MLB.  Of course, Hermida and Uggla pissed away 1/4 the total payroll this year all by themselves.

[GMUNat]

If Nolasco is non-tendered, I would scoop him immediately. Offer him 3/20 or whatever it takes. Add Brad Penny and you have a legitimate rotation.

[sportsfan882]

absolutely. Rizzo should do everything he can to make sure Nolasco is a National in 2010. He fits the bill perfectly.

[GMUNat]

absolutely. Rizzo should do everything he can to make sure Nolasco is a National in 2010. He fits the bill perfectly.

He's everything that Scott Olsen should have been. I'm worried that a lot of teams will go after him because of his strong return after his minor league stint. Here are the numbers.

3.82 ERA
1.08 WHIP
6.42 IP/start
7.8 H/9
0.96 HR/9
10.1 K/9
1.97 BB/9
5.1 K/BB ratio
3.02 FIP

In 18 of those 22 starts, He allowed 3 ER or fewer. His ERA is skewed by a few real bad outings (10 ER, 7 ER, 7 ER)

That is a guy we should be targeting. Young (27), improving, with a lot of potential.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

I don't want to get my hopes up, but

 

Nolasco's such a great talent.  He'd be a steal at any price.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

I'm worried that a lot of teams will go after him because of his strong return after his minor league stint.

Of course they will!  What la-la land are you living in?  I really doubt the Nats will get him, but they absolutely should try.