The Marlins have made the Phillies better
As the Miami Marlins unveiled their gauche new ballpark last winter, proud team president David Samson oddly pointed out that the outside portion of the place did not have any right angles.
The Marlins have made the Phillies better
Bob Brookover
As the Miami Marlins unveiled their gauche new ballpark last winter, proud team president David Samson oddly pointed out that the outside portion of the place did not have any right angles.
"That's the way (owner) Jeffrey Loria wanted it," Samson said.
A short time later the Marlins learned that they had not made any of the right moves in an effort to revamp the moribund franchise.
That's what led to the firing of manager Ozzie Guillen after one season as well as the latest Marlins' roster purge Tuesday night. Among others, the Marlins traded shortstop Jose Reyes and star pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle to the Toronto Blue Jays.
They were moves that mystified Miami's remaining veterans and assured that the Marlins will stink again in 2013.
“Alright, I’m pissed off!!! Plain & Simple,” outfielder Giancarlo Stanton tweeted.
All of this should come as great news to the Phillies.
Without making any major moves this offseason, the Phillies' chances of returning to the postseason in 2013 should have already improved considerably.
As Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. continues to ponder ways to upgrade his roster, he already has a team that should be able to put at least five more games in the win column.
The Phillies went 10-8 against the Marlins in 2012 and 8-10 against the Mets. Their record against the N.L. East was 33-39. Given how bad the Marlins are going to be next season and how terrible the Phillies played against the Mets, they should pick up at least five games in the standings by consistently beating those two teams.
It's true that the rest of the division is also going to have the opportunity to beat up on the wretched Marlins, but the two wild-card system put in place last year gives an advantage to the teams that have the league's worst team in their division.
At this point, the three best teams in the N.L. East are the Phillies, Washington and Atlanta and that does not figure to change regardless of what the Mets do this offseason. It's conceivable the Marlins could go 12-42 against the Phillies, Nats and Braves, giving them all an advantage over the other National League teams.
That's especially true because Houston, the worst team in baseball in 2012, has moved from the National League Central to the American League West.
The Astros, of course, provide a cautionary tale for the Phillies about any given day. On the other hand, the fact that St. Louis was 11-4 against Houston last season and 10-5 the year before provides proof that having a terrible team in your division when the schedule is unbalanced is a distinct advantage.
Take the Astros out of the N.L. Central and it's entirely possible the Cardinals don't even make the playoffs the last two seasons.
The point is, the Marlins have helped the Phillies before the Phillies have even helped themselves.
Phillies got better because the Marlins got worse? That's like telling Cher she had a hot daughter after Chaz's gender operation.— stop2think- Giancarlo Stanton is NOT happy in Miami. Lets make him HAPPY in Philly. Trade Dom Brown AND Tyler Cloyd for Stanton. Make this happen RAJ. There is a window of opportunity to obtain a strong right handed power bat. Adding Ruf/Stanton to this line up opens up the door to sign another left handed bat for center field....I'm just saying...ya know?— drhoffman
- OMG, Brookover......obviously you weren't a math geek in school. What a terrible premise for an article. Yes, if it were just the Phillies and the marlins in the NL East, this firesale would greatly enhance our chances of making the playoffs. But alas.....the Braves and Nats are still way ahead of us and just made the same tad better as we have been. Net gain? Zero.....the only way the Phils make the playoffs next season is if the Braves and Nats team planes collide over open water.......Stanton will not be dealt and certainly not to a NL East team. Selig would almost certainly throw Loria out of baseball if that happened.— Mark1npt
- Since Reuben, of no bull pen, no outfielders, no third basemen, a 2nd basement who is in charge, a SS who is great but over paid, a 1st basement who is over paid and still cannot hit a curve ball, and who has shown himself to have the businesss sense of a toad (he pulled an andy ried and decieded he was so smart, he waited till the end so he could over pay Coles, and oh yes, remember, he refused to pay Lee so he could trade him away and then over pay him to come back....the only way the Phillies get better is for other teams to fold or do stupid trades....But here is an idea....Just fire Reuben for hin ineptness......Now that would be a step in the right direction...— nuggett
- The Marlins have, perhaps, the WORST owner in perfeshinil sports. The way Jeffrey Loria has run the Florida/Miami Marvins is precisely how he ran the Montreal Expos!
Of course, the Phillies SHOULD attempt to get Giancarlo Stanton, since he will be asking big $$$$$$$$$ the Marvins won't want to pay in a few years!— BEMiller - So the Marlins had a fire sale, and again, Rube was caught sleeping. Maybe instead of being secondarily benefitted by the Marlins losses, the Philles could have been directly benefitted if we could have gotten some of the talent being discharged.— Bobphxville
- I assume pumpkin head is Charlie Manuel because I have heard they do that a lot in his home state of WV...pump kin. Sorry for the bad joke. Phillies still need a quality outfielder like Hamilton to make a difference in the division.— Phillip Phan
- @Philip Phan, shame on you! Pump kin!
Charlie Manuel actually hails from Virginia, although he was born in a car in West Virginia. No, I'm not making that up.
"Pumpkinhead" must be a reference to Placido Polanco. That's quite a substantial cranium he carries around.— dasher - How about taken Stanton off their hands— PHILLY76
- Now all we need to do is ship Manuel and Dubee out of town with Reid and Marty. 4 of the most useless, clueless clowns whose teams carried them. Now that the players aren't performing, their true managerial skills show.. Or more accurately put, their LACK of skill. And trust me, giving Laviolette an extention was a major mistake too..— dedhed
- Well.... Since the front office for the Phils has left the roster filled with bums and people way past their prime with huge contracts it is nice that some one somewhere in MLB is doing something to help them suck less.— truthfirst
- Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.— sillybilly
- LOSERS!!! There, I said it. Fools, the Marlins just traded away a boatload of guys they overpaid in a series of idiotic move. Stanton is BY NO MEANS ONE OF THEM. OK? Stanton made $480,000 last year. He isn't arbitration-eligible until 2014 and he's under the Marlins' control until 2017. Sending Dom Brown solo to Florida -- a ridiculous concept -- would COST the Marlins money. Let's get a clue. The Marlins' salary dump is over.— eman
- Now the Phillies need to get better. Just don't do what the Eagles are doing.— mrjarn
- Stanton has awesome power.Opposing teams will be giving him a lot of intentional walks for years to come if he continues to develop. Somebody mentioned he is a five tool player. No way, not yet - still learning the defensive part of the game, strong thrower but with a scatter arm and questionable speed and makes a ton of mental errors. Missed over a month of the season because of injury and still struck out 143 times in just 123 games. Teams continue to pitch to him because he has all kinds of holes in his swing. You still would find a place for him on your team. Might be a disappointment to the Phillie fans, if he somehow came here, who may be expecting him to match his every at bat like the monster shots they see of him on Sports Center highlights.
The Phillies chances in the division would be greatly improved if Bourn does not return to Atlanta. Would not want the Phillies to get Bourn - way too many strikeouts for a leadoff hitter. Cannot hit high velocity fast balls.
Would not be surprised if Victorino and Blanton end up back here on one year deals - at much less than they were being paid this year. Victorino brings steady defense to a shaky outfield and Blanton lends insurance on a suspect Halladay. THE PRICE MAY BE RIGHT.
Washington still looks like the cream of the division but they may have had there run of good luck this year. Free agency could be a challenge for them.
Hoping Hamilton does not end up in Washington or Atlanta.— candidly
