MLB Chatter
The Winter Meetings technically kick off today, but the Miami Marlins jumped into the fray early. After supposedly getting "impatient" with how long it was taking free agents to make a decision, the Marlins jump-started the process by offering Jose Reyes considerably more money than any other team was willing to: 6 years, $106 million. As Grant Brisbee pointed out, yes, the Marlins just outbid the financially strapped Mets; what sort of upside down world is this?
The snark about this move hit Twitter in one giant wave, but as Dave Cameron pointed out, it seems likely that the Marlins will get good value back from this contract. It's a risk, but even with injuries Reyes could be worth this contract in the end.
Oh, and despite tossing all this money at Reyes, the Marlins are still planning on making a large push for Albert Pujols. As I pointed out on Friday, the Marlins have very few financial obligations after 2013, so it appears they're not afraid to stock their system with some large, long-term contracts.
Also, there's going to be a movie on the Negro Leagues. Heck yeah, sign me up for that - anything that has to do with Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige is already great in my book.
Rays Talk
Remember that Manny Ramirez guy? Apparently Manny wants to un-retire and play with a team in 2012 (after his 50 game suspension is served). I can't imagine the Rays will want to go anywhere near him after the way he surprised/deceived them last year, but he's an interesting option on a minor league deal...I guess. Considering he has to miss 50 games and he hasn't played consistently in the majors since 2010, he's not nearly as exciting an option as he was last year.
There are two Rays-related articles over at Beyond the Boxscore right now. One of them is an attempt to create an "All-Rays Team" -- in my mind, the methodology is a bit strict and rigid to make an accurate team, but it certainly makes for an interesting discussion -- and the other is a ranking of how "traditional" AL managers are. It surprised me that Maddon came in around the middle of the list, but I think that just goes to show that there's more to being a progressive manager than simply eschewing the intentional walk.