Kuzul

The Steroid Era has been around pretty much since the early nineties, a span of about nearly 20 years. With a grueling 162 game regular season plus postseason play, it adds up to playing nearly 200 baseball games if you want to go ahead and count Spring Training. 

The contract status, fatigue and desire to stay on a big-league roster are all reasons why players, even the best ones, have used performance-enhancing drugs to stay on the field and perform at a high level. It has affected baseball’s “greats” and it certainly has tainted the game of baseball, their game, and their Hall of Fame status in Cooperstown, New York.

The big question is whether any suspected user or player linked to the steroid era will make it into the Hall of Fame. Is it fair to perhaps not vote in a borderline hall of famer like Chipper Jones than an Alex Rodriguez? Chipper Jones will make it because he was clean during a tainted era of baseball and players such as Jim Thome and Frank Thomas get a bonus for not going to the dark side of baseball and staying clean while achieving less than perfect Hall of Fame numbers. 

So what about the players such as Barry Bonds, Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, and of course Roger Clemens? What are their chances of getting in at all and when will they get in? Find out…

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According to a report by The Miami Herald‘s Clark Spencer, Marlins starting catcher Ronny Paulino has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

The suspension would put the Marlins catcher out for the rest of the regular season with 40 games left to go for the Marlins, as it will be effective immediately. 

Paulino started the year off as the Marlins’ backup catcher to John Baker, but when Baker went down with an injury, Paulino assumed the bulk of the catching duties.

He becomes the first Marlins player to receive such a suspension since the steroid policy was enacted in 2006. He is also the first major league position player on a 25-man roster to be suspended for PEDs this season. 

Paulino played in 91 games this season and hit .259 with four home runs and 37 RBI. Paulino hit .282 in the first half but since the second half has started has hit only .195 with a home run and seven RBI. 

If Ronny Paulino were to sign a contract with any team next season, he would miss the first 10 games of the season since he is to miss the remaining 40 games with the Marlins. 

The Marlins called up catcher Brad Davis from Triple-A New Orleans to replace Paulino. Brett Hayes becomes the Marlins’ everyday catcher for the rest of the season, even if the injured John Baker were to return. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Entering his final year of arbitration this offseason, Cody Ross is looking at what could be his final year with the Marlins in 2011. Yet many obstacles stand in his way for him to simply return for his fifth season with the Fish. 

First, Ross is having a down year by power standards. He has only belted 10 out of major league ballparks this season versus 24 in 2009, 22 in 2008, and 12 in 66 games in 2007.

Second, Cody Ross is costly for the budget-strict Florida Marlins. Ross is earning $4.4 million this season and figures to earn at least $5 million in arbitration. The Marlins would figure to win any case if Ross demands more than $5 million because Ross has had a down year yet that would expensive because the Marlins are trying to extend second baseman Dan Uggla and pitcher Ricky Nolasco this offseason with Anibal Sanchez and Michael Stanton on the contract horizon.  

The Marlins also have to have their “center-fielder in waiting” Cameron Maybin on their 25-man roster next season or he’ll have to be placed on waivers first before heading down to the minor leagues. Simply put, Maybin is out of options come next season. 

Maybin has struggled in the majors but has impressed in the minor leagues this season. Thru 30 games at (AAA) New Orleans, Maybin has hit .342 with three home runs, 21 RBIs to go along with five stolen bases. The true test will be during September when Maybin is called up to the majors for the third consecutive season when rosters expand to 40. If Maybin plays well, Ross might find himself out. 

If Ross had his usual season, would this still be the question? Maybe, because the Marlins’ only benefit of the Miguel Cabrera deal has been long reliever Burke Badenhop. Andrew Miller has lost his control like the other pitcher in the deal, Dontrelle Willis. Yet despite his horrid minor league numbers, 2-9, 5.35 ERA, is getting called back up for relief help.

The Marlins would certainly want to give Maybin a shot to fully develop being the most attractive part of that deal. Cameron Maybin is only 23-years-of-age so he still has time. 

Yet, at the end, the Marlins would be able to trade either player because they are under club control. Cody Ross might fetch more value because he is a veteran major-leaguer. The Marlins might pull off a similar deal when they traded Mike Jacobs to the Royals for Leo Nunez. The objective would be to get a bullpen arm or two in any deal. 

If I were Larry Beinfest or Michael Hill I would trade the fan favorite Ross while you can get value and take a chance with Maybin. If he doesn’t pan out, you still have Emilo Bonifacio and then Christian Yelich in a few years.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The signing of Christian Yelich came last night for the Marlins although it didn’t receive the hype of a Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg signing.

Yelich signed for $1.7 million as the deal got done with minutes left until the midnight deadline. Yelich was the Marlins’ first-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

Taken out of Westlake High School in Westlake Village, California, Yelich stands at 6’4″ and weighs 190 pounds.

With Westlake, he hit .428 with nine home runs and 28 stolen stolen bases. 

Anything sound familiar?

Well, he follows a recent trend of the Marlins picking high school bats from California in early rounds. First-rounder Matt Dominguez (2007), second-rounder Mike Stanton (2007), and first-rounder Kyle Skipworth (2008). 

Nevertheless, Yelich, 18, projects to be an outfielder, more specifically a center fielder with speed to hit at the top of the order. 

On a major league level, Yelich has a swing which has been compared to Mark Grace and some have compared him to James Loney.

But for better description, Yelich could be described as a cross between Logan Morrison (power and plate discipline) and Chris Coghlan (speed and defense). 

Outlook

The long-term plan would be for Christian Yelich to be up in a few years, similar to Mike Stanton.

This would be a best case scenario. 

Yelich figures to be in the Marlins minor league system in 2011 and 2012 and could figure to be up sometime in 2013.

Yet this all depends on the outfielder alignment for the Marlins in the next few years.

Currently, rookies Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton occupy the corner outfield positions and figure to man them for many years to come with the veteran Cody Ross nestled in center.

Another outfielder, 23-year-old Cameron Maybin, who was sent down because of his early season struggles has bounced back nicely in Triple-A New Orleans, hitting .336 with two home runs, 17 RBI to go along with five stolen bases in 28 games.

He figures to be their center fielder if the Marlins do not tender Cody Ross this offseason.

But anything can happen in a few years and the Marlins could always take a page from 2003 when they traded Adrian Gonzalez if they were ever in contention and trade Yelich, but for now, Christian Yelich figures to be something special in the minor leagues for the Marlins. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In 2010, we’ve witnessed five no-hitters (two perfect games), it would be six (three perfect games) if you include the infamous Armando Galaragga blown call. It has been dubbed 1968 all over again, the Year of the Pitcher. It is a deserving name for this season but another phenomena has hit MLB, the emergence of countless NL rookies leading their teams as their present and future. 

The American League is really thin on rookie talent with only Detroit rookies Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch along with Rangers All-star closer Neftali Feliz are considered serious candidates for that award in the AL. 

The National League race this season is sort of reminiscent of the 2007 race with featured Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki, Hunter Pence, Chris Young, Kyle Kendrick, James Loney, and Yunel Escobar as great candidates for the Rookie of the Year award.

The ’07 class was stronger at the top but the 2010 class has a broader field of legitimate candidates who will need a string of clutch performances down the stretch to emerge victorious amongst rookies in the National League. 

Here are the 13 National League rookie candidates and their credentials for a Rookie of the Year award in 2010…

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Shortly after securing their future long-term home, Marlins Ballpark, in Little Havana near Downtown Miami, the Marlins began their long-term deals with their marquee players. 

In 2008, the Marlins signed their all-star shortstop Hanley Ramirez to a six year, $70 million extension that goes through the 2014 season. It was their first such long-term deal since they signed first baseman Carlos Delgado to a five year deal in 2005. 

The Marlins continued that trend by locking up their ace, Josh Johnson to a four year extension worth $39 million in 2010. 

In order to keep their nucleus intact and the future bright, the Marlins must continue to fortify their long-term investments by signing a few others to long-term deals as well. 

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The 2010 MLB offseason definitely will be known as one of the busiest in terms of managerial moves and firings. Some the of the games best might call it quits and it will certainly be the end of an era in baseball. 

We’ve already had a pair of managers who seem very much safe in the Royals’ Ned Yost and Orioles’ Buck Showalter.

Come Opening Day 2011, we will have seen a 60 percent of the managers from the 2010 Opening Day, an amazing and shocking drop from 40 percent. 

The offseason will feature many moves and hirings that will be the start of new eras in ball clubs around baseball and here are those managers on the fringe:

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Catwalk calamities like the Rays experienced in a loss to the Twins aren’t new to them.

Jason Kubel smacked a ball into the catwalk below the roof of Tropicana Field on Thursday. The Rays infield had an eye on the ball until it hit above and landed several feet from any fielder near the pitcher’s mound.

Mind you, incidents like these happen a handful of times a season and the more and more they happen, the more frustrating it is for the Rays who have abandoned their old uniforms and losing tradition.

Because the Rays are in contention, this catwalk hit was was a bigger deal. Manager Joe Maddon made an excellent point about having a “real baseball field,” but he forgets to point out one key thing and that is they still need a roof even if it’s in a new ballpark or not.

Weather in the state of Florida can be very unpredictable, just ask the Florida Marlins who are moving into their new ballpark in 2012 with a retractable roof. They are a team that needs a roof over their heads but the Rays, they prefer not to have one.  

Of course, the Rays are going to have a variation of a retractable roof.

Early designs of their previous plans called for a new ballpark which included a “Mast and Arch” type roof in a way of a sailboat where the roof would not be purely solid but rather have a type of fabric which would require a pulley system to close and open.

It’s a smart and unique idea but yet their efforts have been slowed down in the past years. 

Domes really should be reserved for hockey and basketball teams, where really the views that count are on the hardwood or ice.

In football, you really want teams to play through the elements which makes it interesting.

In baseball, when baseballs are hit out to the outfield, you get a glimpse of the view beyond it. This might not be the case in every ballpark but examples such as Great American Ballpark, PNC Park, Petco Park and Busch Stadium have pretty good views that really add to the term home-field advantage. 

For the Rays one could only hope their torment of the dreaded catwalk can quickly end and finally move into a new stadium…with a retractable roof over their heads.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In 2012, the Florida Marlins will move into a new ballpark in downtown Miami and will be renamed the Miami Marlins with an all new logo, color scheme, and young nucleus.

Most of their stars will be 30-years-old or younger, and I will highlight that here. Certainly, they have one of the most talented nucleus of players in the Major Leagues, and there is no telling what they can do once they move into a new environment, a true baseball stadium with the top players in the game.

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The MLB “Non-Waiver” Trade Deadline has come and gone but another has yet to arrive, the August 31st Waiver Trade Deadline. This simply means teams can still trade players but with the requirement of placing their players on the waiver wire, which is pretty secret in MLB and often if a contract is too hefty a player goes free.

Last year the Chicago White Sox shocked the baseball world by claiming outfielder Alex Rios from the Toronto Blue Jays and his expensive contract, in the neighborhood of $50 million left on it and getting him with no trade whatsoever. This scenario is unlikely to happen this time around but I can tell you that there are a handful of players out there likely to clear waivers for postseason hungry teams needing a final piece in order to win and here they are…..

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