Miami Marlins Off Season Outlook, with Ehsan Kassim
Well here at the Take I am going to be starting an Off Season Outlook series featuring all of the teams in the NL East and hopefully getting some input from the writers of the team sites here at Fansided.
To start things off I will be talking with Ehsan Kassim, editor of Marlin Maniac. A big thanks to Ehsan for taking the time to do this. Let’s get started.
Now that the Marlins have made their name change official and unveiled the new uniforms and logo what do you think about them? There have been mixed results on the internet although I like the uniforms and still haven’t made up my mind about the logo.
Not a huge fan of the logo, but it has grown on me. I love the orange and black jerseys. Nothing impressive about the white and grey ones. Plus, anything Mike Stanton wears will look good!
What are the Marlins biggest needs this off season?
In a division with the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, it is pitching. Josh Johnson‘s health is the most important piece. I’d say the Marlins need one more starter, but they are going after two. Centerfield and third base are secondary issues.
Miami has been linked to the most big dollar free agents this off season. What are the chances that they actually sign one or more of them? Who has the best chance of being signed in your opinion, and what do you think about moving Hanley to third if Reyes is actually signed?
It feels like the Marlins have spent more on lunch this off-season then they have on payroll in any given season. I would be shocked to see Jose Reyes in any other uniform other then the Marlins. I like the Marlins chances of adding Wilson or Buehrle, I prefer CJ. Rumor is Marlins are hoping to add a closer as well, and I like our chances at Cespedes, though that will be a bidding war.
As for Ramirez, I don’t think he will be with the team on opening day. I expect him to start the season on the DL. When he returns, I expect him to embrace being a third baseman.
Do you think the Marlins will look to trade Logan Morrison for pitching help because of all of the situations between him and the front office?
As I posted on yesterday, Logan Morrison’s issues with the Marlins
management are overblown.
In fact, the Marlins have told other teams that LoMo is untouchable. The Marlins rejected a deal for Gio Gonzalez that had LoMo being acentral part of a package.
After Omar Infante‘s down year what is his role likely to be with the team next year?
Infante is a serviceable second baseman. I expect him to have a better
2012 at the plate. His defense was marvelous last season. Overall, I
expect Infante to be an average second baseman. I like what he brings
to the team.
As a Marlins fan what did you think about the Uggla/Infante trade when it was announced and what do you think of it now?
As for my initial reaction to the trade, I was upset at what we got in
return. I still believe that we could have gotten more. It is what it is. Micheal Dunn was a huge dud last season.
Well that’s going to wrap it up for the Marlins outlook. A big thanks to Ehsan Kassim for bringing us some insight into the team. Make sure you check out Marlin Maniac and check out my interview responses on the Braves off season. You can also follow Ehsan on Twitter @ek2MarlinManiac.