All of my blog posts have been about football, but as the winter meetings get underway in Dallas, it’s time to talk a little pine tar. The biggest move so far has been Jose Reyes going to the now Miami (no longer florida) Marlins. I don’t like this deal at all. Hanley Ramirez had a bad year last year and also got hurt, but he’s still one of the top 5 shortstops in baseball. Reyes is probably another one. Why go out and spend millions on a marquee shortstop when you’ve already got one? The second part I don’t like of this deal is Hanley moving to third. It’s his team. He was Rookie of the Year with this team, made All-Star teams, and was and is their best player, their franchise player. Great teams have great shortstops, and he was their centerpiece, their bulilding piece, the one you are supposed to build talent around. Now he’s getting pushed over. In a way, I understand. Hanley’s power bat is more suited for third, and as much as I hate to see him pushed over, Jose Reyes should never, ever, play third base. It just would’nt be right. When A-Rod came to the Yankees in ’04, Jeter was their star. Their heart and soul. Their Captain. He still is, but they didn’t make him move, they made A-Rod move over 90 Feet. Hanley getting pushed away like he’s an unimportant contributer, as if Jose is better than him. Trade him! He’s still young and productive, get a good arm for the bullpen or another quality starter. But it was his team, and they made him move. If you’re going to spend 120 million dollars, spend on something useful, something you actually need. I have never liked bratty sports stars who want to be traded because their team was bad. But if their was ever a time to ask for a trade, this would be it. Plus, with Hanley being annoyed over moving, he may not get back to his usual self, and with their star, upset, I see them falling apart at the seams. Funnily enough, teams in all 3 major sports, Basketball, Football, and Baseball have gone to town on the Free-Agent market. The Heat fell short in the end, the Eagles have been without question a bust, and that’s not a good trend for the marlins. Heath Bell, their other big move, made sense. An All-Star closer to fill a need. Not like the Reyes deal. I believe the Marlins made a 120 million dollar mistake, created controvesy, angered their star, will be fighting upstream in July; Or hooked on a net, hung out to dry.
Pigskin and Pine Tar 