Around the NL East: NL East Rakes in Awards, Marlins TRAID Everyone

You know what I'm looking forward to? Planning 2013's road trips. And I might get started earlier than the regular season, because like in 2009, the World Baseball Classic returns, and with Marlins Park being on deck as one of the host cities, I saw a great opportunity in front of me: the chance to see meaningful baseball at Marlins Park, without having to actually see the Marlins. Especially now that they've pretty much traded everyone away.

Welcome back to the basement.

Marlins pretty much TRAID entire team to the Toronto Blue Jays - Fish Stripes
There's really not much to say about all this, to be perfectly honest. I'm more surprised that there are people that are surprised that something like this could happen, because this isn't the first time the Marlins have had a ridiculous firesale before. Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck all to Toronto. All I just want to point out is that including Hanley Ramirez and Omar Infante who were previously traded, the team has now shipped off 18.5 fWAR from their 2012 roster. Oh yeah, and the Marlins receive Yunel Escobar among others, in return. lol

Giancarlo Stanton is not pleased, Bryce Harper injects himself into scene - Deadspin
Hahaha, does anyone really think the Marlins have any shot at extending Giancarlo now? Money speaks volumes, but a lot of guys want security too, and you just can't get that in Miami, re-affirmed for another ten years. Regardless, in spite of his anger, Giancarlo is still capable of owning Bryce Harper's attempt to inject himself into the conversation. Owned.

And Marlins might not be finished yet - Marlin Maniac
With players that actually cost actual money thought to be on the block, like Ricky Nolasco, and outspoken blabbermouth Logan Morrison.

Ricky Nolasco sure thinks so - Sun Sentinel

Reached out to Ricky Nolasco to get his thoughts on the pending trade between the Marlins and Blue Jays that will send Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio north. Via text, he politely declined. Couldn’t blame him.

"I’m next anyways," Nolasco said.

Marlins President David Samson disagrees - Palm Beach Post
Samson has stated that Nolasco will remain on the Marlins. Someone's gotta pitch after all. But I can't say I believe this at all. I can't say that I'd blame any Marlins fan for believing anything the Marlins brass says.

Logan Morrison's rational take on fire sale - Sun Sentinel
LoMo saying he can't get mad over things he can't control sounds a lot like a plea that he just really wouldn't give a (crap) if the Marlins happened to trade him somewhere else.

Jeffrey Loria's logic is hilariously ironic - Fish Bytes
Loria's justification for having a fire sale was that the Marlins finished in last place. So they make a move that all but assures that the Marlins will finish last place again in 2013, and quite possibly in 2014 and 2015 (and 2016, 17, 18). But thanks to the flawed profit sharing of MLB, Loria will almost always be out-earning his team's spending.

Bud Selig vowing to review TRAID - NY Times

I want to be my usual painstaking, cautious, slow, conservative self in analyzing it. There’s a lot of variables here.

Translation: It will sit on the backburner while I figure out more ways to subtly give favoritism to the Brewers, and then I'll get back to it after I've forgotten all the pertinent facts and then actually do nothing about it.

But anyway yeah, Yunel Escobar, back in NL East. And probably won't play shortstop - Sun Sentinel
In one of the few things that make modicum of sense, the team that plays in Little Havana will likely have an all-Cuban left side of the infield. Yunel Escobar will likely not be playing short, but third, in place of another Cuban defector, Adeiny Hechavarria.

Aside from having to play in Canada, Canadian taxes likely to plague Jose Reyes as well - NY Post
Out of all the guys to have been involved in this traid, I have to think that it was worse for Jose Reyes than anyone else. Not only was there an unsightly separation between him and the Mets just one year prior, he thought he was joining a team committed to spending and building a winning team. One year later, he's not only shipped to another team, but another country, where the taxes are way more brutal than the ones in Florida.

R.A. Dickey wins National League Cy Young Award - AA
You shall receive no argument from me, although Gio Gonzalez had a fantastic year and Clayton Kershaw had a pretty monstrous second half. But all numbers aside, this is a good thing to see because the legitimately nice guy, placed first for a pleasant change of pace.

Naturally, Dickey is nothing short of the classiest of class acts upon being awarded - NY Daily News
And personally pens his gracious thank yous and heart-felt gratefulness to all of his fans for their support.

Dickey wants to stay with the Mets, but how much would it cost? - MetsBlog
Despite stating that he would like to finish out his career with the Mets, that doesn't necessarily mean he's going to work for free. Dickey has stated wishing for three years starting in 2014, but even that could be more than the Mets would feel comfortable signing. What to do?

Mets' Fred Wilpon glad Jeffrey Loria exists - NY Post
Because with the news of the Marlins pretty much TRAIDing everyone, not a single soul would really pay him any attention compared to the scrutiny struck upon Jeffrey Loria instead.

David Wright initial proposals - MetsBlog
Wright wants seven years, $130M. Mets offer six years, $110M. The dollars are fairly close to matching up, but now it's the length of contract. Honestly, I agree with MetsBlog; it's close enough to where a happy compromise is still easily within grasp.

Welp, at least it prevents another Bobby Bonilla situation - AA
The Mets have deferred $15M of the $21M they owe Jason Bay for kicking him to the curb. Now if they didn't get this in writing, this very well could have turned into $115M in 2031, but the Mets were smart this time. They are required to have the full $15M paid off by 2015, and will have paid "only" about $850,000 in interest.

But it's okay, they'll turn the screws on their own fans to make up the difference - The Apple
Because Citi Field is the home of the 2013 All-Star Game, it's perfectly logical to make the locals solely responsible for the cost of the expenses. Right?

Who will be the Mets' top villain now that Chipper Jones is gone? - AA
Although I get why Yadier Molina makes the list without much argument, but I have to say, the slash lines aren't Reed Johnson vs. Johan Santana like, but it's worth mentioning that Freddie Freeman has more XBH (12 2B, 6 HR) and RBI against the Mets than any team he's faced in his budding young career. He certainly likes facing the Mets.

Bryce Harper wins National League Rookie of the Year - MASN
Unlike Mike Trout's unaninimous AL ROY, I still think it was the right call here. Bryce Harper, in closer than I would have guessed beats out Arizona's Wade Miley for the NL ROY by a score of 112 to 105 in voting points.

Davey Johnson named National League Manager of the Year - Nationals Journal
Yeah, this was kind of a no-brainer.

And declares 2013 his last season before retirement - Nats Insider
Probably tired of all the old man jokes, being the oldest manager in MLB currently, Davey Johnson has called it quits after the 2013 season. Maybe the Nationals will get caught up in all the "Win it for ______" that the Braves did for Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones, and ultimately botch it in the end.

Gio Gonzalez loses out to R.A. Dickey in Cy Young voting - Nats Insider

Is Ian Desmond MLB's best shortstop? - Nats Insider
Hahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha no.

But really, hahahahahahahaha, no.

Nothing really happened with the Phillies this week except Jimmy Rollins running his mouth (surprise) - CSN Philly
And surprise, Jimmy Rollins still thinks the Phillies are the team to beat. But instead of zeroing in on the Mets, he pretty much tries to put down every team in the division except the Marlins because well, the Marlins. As partially true as his statements may be, not nearly as much of the Phillies' success happens from him as much as it does from Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and Chase Utley. Eventually even his own teammates will just want him to shut up.