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(Miguel) Cabrera, (Dontrelle) Willis put on the market


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[quote][size=5][b]Cabrera, Willis put on the market[/b][/size]
[size=3][b]Team will consider trading one or both of its stars[/b][/size]
BY JUAN C. RODRIGUEZ | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
November 6, 2007

Queries regarding Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis once answered with a "not available" will receive a different response this week.

During the general managers' meetings in Orlando, the Marlins will make it known either player can be had in the right deal.

According to a front office official in contact with the club, the Marlins won't dismiss interested parties out of hand.

That doesn't mean one or both players will be employed elsewhere before Christmas.

The need to at least consider trading Willis and Cabrera is twofold. They should earn no less than a combined $19 million next season on a club whose payroll isn't likely to exceed $35 million.

From a pure baseball standpoint, moving their two remaining links to the 2003 World Series champions is the quickest way to address starting pitching and defensive holes without a significant payroll hike.

"We have to find ways to try to improve the ballclub and shore up our deficiencies, and try to win more games," President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest said. "Whatever the payroll is, we have to try and find a way to get that done. ... Considering we finished last in the league in pitching and last in the league in defense, I don't think we're close enough to where we want to be.

"Can we get there given our inventory and what we think we may have beginning in '08 and into the future? Yeah, we're still confident and optimistic we can get there, but the reality is where we're coming from it's hard to say we're close when you finish last in two very key categories."

The caliber of prospects the Marlins would get in return for Willis and/or Cabrera should bring them closer.

Especially for Cabrera, who at 24 already is a four-time All-Star, the asking price would be somewhere in the prohibitive to outrageous range. Even with a 2008 salary expected to approach $11 million through arbitration, the Marlins may not find a package that justifies trading one of the game's top young hitters.

Teams in need of a third baseman, such as the Red Sox and Yankees, may deem it more prudent to flood Alex Rodriguez's or Mike Lowell's bank account than part with cornerstone prospects.

How eager are the Red Sox to give up outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury after his postseason or Clay Buchholz after watching him throw a no-hitter? Would the Yankees give up reliever Joba Chamberlain, starter Ian Kennedy and outfielder Jose Tabata for a guy who should command well north of $100 million to remain in pinstripes beyond 2009?

In some ways, dealing an accomplished a player as Cabrera at his age is unprecedented.

Perhaps the most parallel situation occurred in 2002, when the Montreal Expos traded 25-year-old Pedro Martinez fresh off a Cy Young award to the Red Sox for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr.

In terms of prominent hitters, plenty have been traded in their primes, but none at this age. Rodriguez, Scott Rolen, Carlos Beltran, Ruben Sierra, Jose Canseco, Ken Griffey Jr., and Carlos Beltran were all traded at 27 or older.

Fred McGriff was 26 when he went from the Blue Jays to the Padres. Aramis Ramirez was 25 when the Pirates moved him to the Cubs.

"Sitting on the sidelines and hoping you're going to get better, I'm not sure that's a good way to go at it," Beinfest said. "I'm not sure what major upheaval is either, but there are some things you'd like to improve on that may constitute some change on this roster in order to achieve those goals."

Juan C. Rodriguez can be reached a jcrodriguez@sun-sentinel.com[/quote]



[url="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/baseball/marlins/sfl-flspmarlins06nbnov06,0,2443704.story"]http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basebal...0,2443704.story[/url]
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