How that Tigers-Marlins trade is perceived in Florida ...
Just got off the phone with a colleague in Miami who covers the Marlins. He reminded me of what I pretty much knew:
The Marlins fans still believe they got killed on the December, 2007, trade that made Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis property of the Tigers and brought six Tigers prospects to the Marlins.
You can understand the sentiment, even when Willis' disintegration and Cabrera's bad closeout to the 2009 season are considered.
Andrew Miller, the left-hand blue-chip prospect, remains "awful" to use my colleague's word. Cameron Maybin, the outfield thoroughbred, still struggles with holes in his swing and game.
Burke Badenhop is a journeyman right-hander who would be considered "replacement level" to use the popular label. Mike Rabelo is long gone. Dallas Trahern is in the minors and not doing anything remarkable. Ditto for Eulogio De La Cruz, who is now with the San Diego Padres. He has three brief stints in the big leagues, with a combined earned-run average of 11.80.
It explains why the Marlins fans look at Cabrera's numbers and still-intact superstar status and figure they got robbed.
That remains to be seen. Miller remains a top prospect. And there will come a day, probably, when Maybin turns into a talented everyday outfielder.
But for now, as Tigers fans lament Willis' troubles and Cabrera's all-too-frequent drinking incidents, the Marlins camp would love to have that trade back.
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Andrew Miller
If the Marlins think, as your colleague does, that Miller is "awful" they should be amenable to a trade offer for him. With the dearth of talented lefties in the Tiger system I would think it a good idea to make the Marlins an offer to re-acquire Miller and turn him over to Rick Knapp.
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