July 2007 - Miami Marlins Wiretap

Former Pittsburgh infielder Jose Castillo signed a free-agent deal with the Florida Marlins on Monday. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

The Florida Marlins are considering a revised proposal for a $525 million ballpark on the site of the Orange Bowl that includes both increased long-term county costs and a large, upfront contribution from the team. According to details of the revised proposal, the Marlins would pay $155 million upfront. Miami-Dade County would pay $199 million in tourist tax dollars and $50 million from a general obligation bond, according to a county memo that was posted on the county commission's Web site. "It does take more of the risk off of the government, so that's a good thing," Commissioner Jose Diaz said. The county commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday. Several other commissioners did not return phone messages and e-mails Wednesday, and Marlins' President David Samson denied comment. The team has said it needs a new ballpark to survive in South Florida.

The Marlins will get six highly regarded prospects from the Tigers for stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, but the deal raises a different question. Now that Hanley Ramirez is the team's only star, why should Marlins' fans embrace him knowing that he, too, could be traded in two years? "We need a venue and a different revenue stream. That's what this is about," Baseball Operations President Larry Beinfest said. "Right now with our revenue structure, we have been challenged. Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, a lot of good players have been moved and not retained because of our limitations and our challenges with our payroll, and that's directly related to our revenues. This happened again today. We are hopeful in the future this will end, and we will retain top talent." Former Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent, however, said the moves are frustrating at a time when Commissioner Bud Selig is boasting record revenues, and teams are sharing them "The fans deserve better," Vincent told West Palm Beach radio station ESPN 760. "I know that they've getting some money from the revenue sharing, the luxury tax and I'm very disappointed." "Look, they let two wonderful players go, and the question is why? I mean, Cabrera may be one of the most talented young kids in baseball. That's very hard for the fans to accept."

The Tigers and Marlins completed their blockbuster trade Wednesday: an eight-player swap that sent All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from Florida to Detroit. The Marlins received a package of six players, including two highly rated prospects: left-hander Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin. The teams reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday, with the deal subject to both sides being satisfied after exchanging medical records. "Wow. Those moves put us over the top," Detroit closer Todd Jones wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. The Tigers also sent catcher Mike Rabelo and right-handers Burke Badenhop, Eulogio De La Cruz and Dallas Trahern to Florida in a huge deal that developed quickly and took the spotlight away from the Johan Santana sweepstakes at baseball's Winter Meetings.

The Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers have agreed in principle on a trade that will send Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit for key prospects, sources told ESPN's Peter Gammons. The Tigers would send outfielder Cameron Maybin, pitcher Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabelo and three other minor league pitchers to the Marlins. The deal is expected to be announced Tuesday night when the physicals and paperwork are completed. Miller was Detroit's top pick in the 2006 draft and went 5-5 in 13 starts after being called up last summer. Maybin was the Tigers' first pick in 2005 and shot through the farm system, hitting .143 in 24 major league games, Rabelo batted .256 in 51 games, and one of the other pitchers, 23-year-old Eulogio De La Cruz , appeared in six games for the Tigers, hitting 100 mph on the radar gun. Click here to read RealGM's Grading the Deal of this blockbuster trade

As teams consider sending prospects to the Florida Marlins for Miguel Cabrera, some have raised concerns about the third baseman's fitness. But Cabrera, who along with Johan Santana is expected to be one of the most highly-sought names at baseball's Winter Meetings, has reportedly been working out during the offseason to address those concerns. "He looks good," said Los Angeles Angels' catcher Mike Napoli, who has been training with Cabrera for the last three weeks, according to the Los Angeles Times. "He's starting to slim down, and he's getting real strong." Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen, who saw Cabrera in Miami on Sunday, said the third baseman "has lost about 15 pounds maybe a little bit more," according to the Times. "If you see Miguel Cabrera now, you will be surprised."

The Marlins, stalled in their attempts to trade third baseman Miguel Cabrera, could be laying the groundwork for an even bigger deal. The Marlins and Tigers are engaged in preliminary talks about a blockbuster that would send Cabrera and left-hander Dontrelle Willis to Detroit for a package of young players, according to major-league sources. Outfielder Cameron Maybin and left-hander Andrew Miller likely are among the Marlins' targets. The Tigers already feature two veteran left-handed starters, Kenny Rogers and Nate Robertson, possibly making Miller available in a deal for Willis. Cabrera would play third base for the Tigers. It is uncertain what would happen to the Tigers' incumbent third baseman, Brandon Inge, if a deal were completed; he possibly could be sent to another team. The Marlins are at an impasse in their talks about Cabrera with the Angels. The teams are in agreement on three players the Marlins would receive, sources say ? second baseman Howie Kendrick, catcher Jeff Mathis and minor-league pitcher Nick Adenhart. The Angels are balking at including right-hander Ervin Santana; the substitution of outfielder Reggie Willits possibly could lead to a deal.

While it seems inevitable that Miguel Cabrera will be leaving the Marlins, strong indications surfaced on Sunday that Dontrelle Willis will be staying in South Florida. On the eve of the Winter Meetings beginning in Nashville, multiple sources said the Marlins are leaning towards retaining the D-Train, at least until the July 31, 2008 trade deadline. The subject of trade speculation for years, Willis has two more seasons left in the arbitration process before he was to qualify for free agency. He earned $6.45 million this past season and is in line to increase that figure to more than $7 million in 2008. Despite coming off a down year, the left-hander is still regarded as a bargain when factoring in how expensive free agent starting pitchers are. And, the price to obtain young arms through trades is difficult.

In theory, the Angels and Marlins are as close as ever to a deal for Miguel Cabrera. But in reality, they're both so dug in on their positions sources say they have no plans to talk again until after they both arrive at the winter meetings Sunday. The Angels are still frustrated by what they felt were last-minute changes in Florida's asking price. So they've told the Marlins that if talks do resume next week, Florida will have to approach them and not the other way around. But that doesn't mean the Angels have lost interest in Cabrera, either. The two teams appear to have agreed that second baseman Howie Kendrick and catcher Jeff Mathis would be part of any deal. So if they can settle on which young pitcher or pitchers the Angels would add to that package, they could still wind up making the biggest trade of the winter meetings. Neither team has been willing to reveal precisely what happened when, according to Angels' owner Arte Moreno, the Marlins twice increased their asking price as the teams appeared to be nearing a deal. But indications are that the dispute revolved around how many pitchers the Marlins expected to get back in the trade.