In his ESPN Insider column, Peter Gammons suggested that if the Marlins do not make the playoffs the organization's financial losses would force them to trade Carlos Delgado. In addition, he mentioned the Marlins would seek to move him to the Mets before they could strike a deal for Boston's Manny Ramirez. Delgado said he heard the report reiterated on ESPN Tuesday night. Asked about that scenario before Wednesday's game, team President David Samson rolled his eyes and snickered. "[Owner] Jeffrey [Loria] has shown time and time again his desire to win year after year," Samson said. "He has shown his desire to have a competitive team. The reason why we never talk is the proof is always in the results, and it's far more powerful when actions speak without words." Added David Sloane, Delgado's Coral Springs-based agent: "We're at the mercy of what the Marlins choose to do or are able to do." Sloane added that Loria told him and Delgado last offseason he would anticipate nothing short of a "lynch-mob outside his office" if he traded Delgado after a productive season. Nothing would preclude the Marlins from doing so before the four-year, $52 million contract he signed last offseason expires. Per team policy, that agreement did not include a no-trade clause.