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Rumors are swirling in both cities regarding Torii Hunter being traded to the New York Yankees and Dontrelle Willis being dealt to the Boston Red Sox.

In exchange for Hunter, New York is expected to give up Cano.  Johnny Damon is on record stating that he would shift to right field.  The Yankees have long yearned to be rid of Gary Sheffield's contract and this would be the writing on the wall for Sheff.

To obtain Willis from Florida, the asking price is very steep - but it makes sense for both teams.  Florida would give up Willis and Boston would take his entire contract.  Florida would obtain left hander Jon Lester, currently rated by Baseball America as a top 25 prospect (overall) and a top five pitcher - however the number one left handed prospect.  Florida would also demand another top five prospect from Boston in future closer Craig Hansen.

While Florida would be giving up a proven 20 game winner on the MLB level, they would be getting a potential team building franchise crop.  Along with Hanley, Lester and Hansen will be monsters for years to come - and cheap for the next five seasons.

All teams deny all rumors, which means that somewhere along the line there have been talks.

This would be a great way to get the last 17 fans in the seats to stop going to Marlins games. 

If there's no one in the stadium, do they still play the game?

Wow, JUST WOW. This would send shockwaves throughout baseball. However, the prospect of Willis landing in Boston cannot thrill NY.

Who the hell would be the CF for Minnesota, Maine ?

I'm not sure, I think that they have a kid coming up in the system.  Hunter and the Twins relationship is rocky at best - he's already stated that he won't re-sign with them after this season.  They couldn't afford what he'll get as a FA anyway.

I've heard Marlins ownership vehemently deny anything involving dealing Dontrelle.  The two prospects being mentioned are obviously top-tier young talent, but I just cannot see Florida dealing the D-Train this year.

As a "secondary" Marlins fan, I think the young talent we have on this club is nothing short of phenomenal. An article I was reading yesterday from Peter Gammons (the real one, not the evil one) in his Insider blog seems to agree...

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"Jeffrey Loria is not selling the Florida Marlins and has no intention of putting them up for contraction. He won a World Series in 2003 and three years in a row put a team on the field that legitimately competed for the playoffs while doing business in JoePro Stadium.

When he had lost enough money waiting for a ballpark, he explained to fans what he was going to do: break up the 2003-05 team and start all over again, in a more reasoned manner than Wayne Huizenga, who cycloned the 1997 world champions less than a week after they beat the Indians. GM Larry Beinfest made one deal after another for pitching and young players, paring payroll down -- to $15 million while he tries to threaten enough moves to find some acceptable financing plan in South Florida.

Oh yes, and he's not giving Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera away. "I heard all this stuff this week, so I called them," said one GM Thursday. "I got an abrupt 'no.'" Beinfest, who recently signed a three-year extension, and assistant GM Mike Hill, who declined an opportunity to be interviewed for his hometown Cincinnati GM job, have not placed one outgoing call to discuss trading their two stars. "Why would they?" asked Mets GM Omar Minaya. "I'm telling you, they've got a lot of talent there. They are going to get good again in a hurry."

Compare the Marlins and their future to some of the other second-divison teams. Kansas City at $41M? No comparison. Even though Tampa Bay has some extraordinary positional talent, its previous administration busted on pitching. Beinfest's point is "that there is no real difference between losing 95 and 105 games," so why tie up Reggie Sanders, Mark Grudzielanek and Doug Mientkiewicz and still lose 95-110 games instead of developing young players? What the Marlins are doing is what the Indians did, the model of Gene Orza's model when he opposed a floor to spending because he appreciated that sometimes small-market teams need to take payroll to the bottom to build back for a run at the top.

Beinfest said from the beginning, "the fastest way back is with young pitching." With 24-year old Dontrelle Willis, they have have as many as a dozen prime arms. And that doesn't include what they consider to be an extraordinary 2005 pitching draft, starting with Chris Volstad, Aaron Thompson, Ryan Tucker, et al.

Jason Vargas and Scott Olsen are already in the rotation. Ricky Nolasco, the prize in the Juan Pierre deal, and Josh Johnson are preparing for the rotation by working out of the bullpen, with eyes on becoming starters in July. Carlos Martinez is a third flamethrower developing in the 'pen; Martinez, Johnson and Nolasco had 17 strikeouts in their first 11 2/3 innings. Yusmeiro Petit threw a shutout Thursday. Anibal Sanchez is up to 94-95 mph in Double-A. "The arms they unveiled this spring were really good, the best," says one AL GM.

The Marlins think they are halfway to a pennant-contending team in the field. Cabrera, turning 23, is a potential Hall of Famer. They believe shortstop Hanley Ramirez, 22, is a potential superstar, as is right fielder Jeremy Hermida, who's also 22. Left fielder Josh Willingham can hit. Period. Minaya maintains first baseman Mike Jacobs "will hit 20 or 25 homers." The fact that Ramirez and Willingham are off to good starts (1.102 and 1.105 OPS, respectively) has helped assuage the fan base that understands the theory of what's happening.

When Beinfest and manager Joe Girardi have figured out who are keepers, they will trade pitching for positional players. For now, they won't deal pitching unless they get potential stars, which is why they backed off the Tampa Bay deal for Joey Gathright.

They now are at the point where they do not need to move salary. "We have to be very sensitive to the fans we have here," says one Marlin official. "If we get a park or move, we need attractions."

Now, if they believe that Nolasco, Johnson and others can form the core of a rotation similar to that of Willis, Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett and Brad Penny, they might explore a Willis deal in July, or over the winter. They do not need cash, so any deal would have to include two prime positional prospects: center field, catcher, a major bat -- and a top pitching prospect. Only the Dodgers and Angels would seem to be in a position to even discuss that kind of a trade.

The Beckett deal was different, because they needed to unload $18M in Mike Lowell. But they still got two of Boston's six best prospects in Ramirez and Sanchez. Willis would only be moved if the deal completed most of the remaining parts of the 2008 puzzle.

There is no need to move payroll now. Revenue-sharing will take care of any paper losses.

"We're fine here," says Beinfest. "We knew exactly what had to be done, we're doing it and we're very enthusiastic about what we're doing. Don't worry about us."

i think larry beinfest and jeffrey loria have done alot better with this payroll cut than wayne and Dave Dombrowski did in 97 .. they have ALOT of talent .. give them a year or two of experience and you're talking contenders

If they have their way, in a year or two they'll be the San Antonio Swordfish, so why should I care about the "young talent?"

i don't see why the marlins should have any loyalty to this area .. in spite of the fan support the team has won more than almost any franchise in baseball over the past 12 years .. they have survived and retooled in SPITE OF the horrible attendance and the inability of the community leadership to pony up and support a new ballpark

This is a free market economy .. the marlins HAVE to go with who gives them the better deal .. if the community had invested into a new ballpark and they left then yes .. that would be bad of them .. but with the apathy around here for baseball .. it's a very good move for the marlins.. and I'll support the san antonio swordfish .. why not .. at least there they can maybe put more than 3 people in the stands.

I don't disagree, Fau - if they wanna go, the they should go - but my loyalty to that team ends the second they shut the door on the back of the moving van.

I was under the impression that this was the Florida Marlins' last season here in South Florida.

LMFAO  (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/lordthundergod/scoreit.gif)   (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/lordthundergod/thumbsup.gif)


Ditto. 

Well, dumping Cano for an overpriced and overrated CF'er would fit into the Yankee philosophy of the past few years. Plus, this would give Cairo a full-time job and Torre just loves that.

However, how would this rid NY of Sheffield? He'd still be on the team, just without a position. His contract expires at the end of the year, so there is no need to dump him like there is a Pavano.

Wouldn't be the most shocking thing in the world, but it'd definitely be a stupid move on the Yankees part and one that Cashman wouldn't be in control of.

     I've got agree with Brian, as soon as or if the Marlins move out Florida my loyalty will end right there and then.  I'd have a hard time cheering for the San Antonio Mustangs, Monterray Swordfish, or the Las Vegas Aces. I'll retire my Marlins cap and throw on my Padres cap fulltime.

  Gammons hit the nail on the head in that article, these young Marlins won't be down long.  The real question is will we be able too see them to further develop in South Florida?  The eternal optimist says yes, but the reality is simply... no.

I think the Marlins will have a dynasty from 2008-2011. They have like 19 of the Top 25 prospects in baseball on one team. Hanley Ramirez is doing much better than I expected in his rookie year so far. Girardi is the perfect manager for them, weeding out the problems like Miguel Cabrera who should be traded before Dontrelle.

What's the matter with Miguel Cabrera?

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they probably wont be called the marlins by the time 2008 comes around if they are not in florida.

btw does anyone know where they going to be located. i have heard San Antonio

He is phenomenal statistically but his attitude is really a problem. He is young and Girardi is a good manager for him because he doesn't take any shit, but if they get a can't refuse offer for him they will probably trade him.

Depends on the money he's making.  I'll tell ya, I'd give up Cano and a couple of pitching prospects to get the D-Train in Yankee Pinstripes.

So far everyone has been burned on Marlins pitchers except the Red Sox, so I wouldn't do it. Besides, Florida would ask for Philip Hughes and at the rate he's going he will be a starter on next year's team.

I don't think D-Train is bad like Pavano or Burnett, just that he would require a lot of prospects and he would be going to a big hitter's league as opposed to the NL and weak hitting NL East.