Blockbuster Trade Developing Between Jays and Marlins Involving Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson

Multiple sources have confirmed talks between the Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins regarding a mega-deal that would cause even more of a stir in the AL East across both leagues.

The Marlins are reportedly packaging shortstop Jose Reyes, pitchers Mark Buerhle and Josh Johnson, outfielder Emilio Bonifacio and catcher John Buck to send north of the border.  In return, the Blue Jays are trading shortstops Yunel Escobar and Adeiny Hechavarria, catcher Jeff Mathis, starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez and prospects including Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolini and Anthony DeSclafani.

If this deal is made official, the Marlins will have officially traded away 12 of their 25 starters from 2012 Opening Day, including their entire infield, not to mention their new manager Mike Redmond has almost nothing to work with.  Up north, picking the right manager will be even more crucial now after John Farrell signed on with the Red Sox.

Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, the team's last remaining beacon of hope, tweeted yesterday, "All right, I'm pissed!!!! Plain & Simple."  Keeping him as well as the fans happy in Miami will be no cakewalk.

Ozzie Guillen vs Bobby Valentine - Who's Worse?

Two of the games strangest managers are finally out of work.  Bobby Valentine and Ozzie Guillen have been dismissed by the Red Sox and Marlins, respectively, with Guillen's exit coming Tuesday afternoon, as reported by the Marlins organization.

Both skippers led their squads to identical 69-93 records during the 2012 campaign, leaving fans in complete disbelief as to how their teams could have ended up at the bottom of the totem pole.  The Red Sox headed into last season as one of the best teams on paper.  With Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz at the top of the rotation, backed by the bats of Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis, the Red Sox were poised to be in the playoff mix once again.  More injuries than you could keep track of, Valentine practically running Youkilis out of town, an inexplicably dismal pitching record and a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers sealed the coffin shut on any chances of October baseball in Beantown.

For the Marlins, Ozzie was one of their many offseason acquisitions before the 2012 season.  Heath Bell, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle headlined the new wave of Marlins, joining Hanley Ramirez, Giancarlo Stanton and a healthy Josh Johnson under Guillen's command.  They weren't decimated by injuries, not by any means, they just couldn't handle the hype.  A new stadium and new look were all in the works for years, and when it came to be Miami's time to shine, they completely fell apart, led by Bell's horrid closing performance.  The club has since traded away Ramirez, Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez.  While the latter two don't mind the collapse -- they're playing for the World Series on the Detroit Tigers after a midseason trade -- Marlins fans and front office alike are left completely baffled as to what went wrong.

Ultimately, the team is only as strong as their weakest link, whether that link is on or off the field.  In these two cases, the managers clearly weren't able to hold the chain together.  But Bobby V takes the cake for not being able to even establish that chain.  Early in the season, he and Youkilis would butt heads not only behind the scenes, but in front of the media.  Bobby V and bullpen coach Gary Tuck were said to go extended lengths of time without communicating with each other; the Sox ex-pitching coach Bob McClure would be the one to handle the bullpen phone.

In Miami, the organization has had its fair share of controversy, and has since sent those problems packing, like Bell and Ramirez.  Bobby V wasn't the only one who was careless around the media -- remember when he praised Fidel Castro and was suspended for five games?  Both guys are great baseball minds, there is no doubt about that.  But when push comes to shove, Bobby Valentine was just too much of a headache in Boston to even want to disperse the blame around the rest of the club. 

Supporter Submission: The Return of Adam Greenberg

ESPN.com -- Seven years, two months and 24 days after Adam Greenberg's major league career began and seemed over on just one pitch, the now-31-year-old outfielder is to get another plate appearance on Tuesday, thanks to the Miami Marlins and a long-shot national campaign initiated by an imaginative fan on a lark.

"I'm ready," Greenberg said on the NBC "Today" show Thursday, holding back tears as David Samson, general manager of the last-place Marlins, offered him a one-day contract.

On the first and only pitch the left-handed-hitting Greenberg faced in the majors on July 9, 2005, he was struck by Marlins left-hander Valerio De Los Santos in the back of the head with a 92-mph fastball. Greenberg, then playing for the Chicago Cubs, fell to the ground. Moments after the thrill of stepping to the plate as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning, he had to be helped from the field and taken to the hospital.

For months, filmmaker Matt Liston conducted an online drive to get a team to give Greenberg an at-bat, first focusing his efforts on his favorite ballclub, the Cubs. Despite a compelling video, endorsements from the likes of Hall of Famer George Brett and more than 20,000 petition signatures at Change.org, the efforts of Liston and co-campaigner Gary Cohen, a documentarian, failed to sway Chicago's management. But the Marlins, with time running out on the season, embraced the opportunity as a win-win for Greenberg and the team whose hurler abruptly ended his first major league career.

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I really hope that Matt Liston is making a film about this.

This is a truly heartwarming story.  People don’t understand the grind involved in being a professional baseball player.  It is a sport unlike the other “Big Four."  Players aren’t drafted with the opportunity to play in the Show immediately, rather they scrape and claw in the minor league system for five, sometimes 10 years before they are given that opportunity.  An opportunity that can come in many forms: sometimes it’s coming in to pitch garbage innings in a blowout, and sometimes it’s a chance for a game-winning hit, home run, a or game-ending strikeout.

A few players stay for a while and get a good amount of attention and can become fan favorites, like the Red Sox Pedro Ciriaco.  Some make mediocre careers out of it, and some become legends.  But then there are the players who only get that one shot.  It’s heartbreaking to know that on Adam Greenberg’s first and only shot the lights were turned out.

I will be watching his second opportunity and will be rooting from the bottom of my heart for him to get a hit.  But hit or strikeout, I can guarantee that Greenberg won’t regret a thing.

(Hat tip to Bill for another great post!)

Not Even Fair, Giancarlo Stanton Crushes 494-Foot Bomb

La luna! Just look at how dejected the pitcher and catcher are when that thing leaves the bat.  Dexter Fowler doesn't even move in the outfield.  You just can't teach power like that.

And if you're not sold on how far this shot is, consider that from left to right center, that whole wall is over 400 feet -- 415 feet at its furthest -- which is already a country mile out there.  Giancarlo Stanton is huge baseball playing man.

Justin Ruggiano is Better Than You

I understand this picture doesn't do this play justice, so immediately watch this video.

Justin Ruggiano has been platooning in the Marlins' outfield of late, given the dismal 2-14 stretch they're on, and the nagging injuries to Logan Morrison.  But its been a long time since I've seen a catch like this from anybody.

This sort of play reminds me of that one clip of Jim Edmonds when he played on the Angels.  He was sprinting straight back, took one last look over the shoulder and down, headlong, numbers facing home plate and made the circus catch just shy of the warning track, looking like he was completely guessing as to where the ball was going to come down.  Unreal.  This play, not as awesome, but that takes some serious athleticism.

Ross and Shoppach Go Yard, All is Right in the World

And back out comes the .gif.  Cody Ross, Kelly Shoppach and David Ortiz all homered tonight to launch the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory over the Miami Marlins at Fenway Park Tuesday night.

Hey, three wins in a row?  See, this is how it should be.  Alfredo Aceves came out in the ninth and slammed the door shut like you read about for his 17th save.  Tomorrow, Felix Doubront takes on Ricky Nolasco, who has lost three of his past four starts.  In Doubront's last outing, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against these same Marlins.  Redemption time for Miami?  Doubt it.

The Sox are starting to hit well.  Ross coming back off the DL is a huge boost, especially playing against the Marlins, who released Ross unexpectedly in 2010.  Revenge is a dish best served cold.  And jacking a home run complete with a bat flip is the piece de resistance (no French accents, but just imagine them.)

Red Sox Win, Earth Stops Spinning for 3 Minutes

The Red Sox beat the Miami Marlins, 2-1, to get their second win in the past 10 days.  Lordy lordy, hallelujah!

Game ball goes to Kelly Shoppach, who went 2-4 with an RBI and scored the other run himself.  Second star goes to Clay Buchholz.  I still can't really figure out how he has seven wins with an ERA still over five, but hey, whatever works, I guess.

The Sox are still two games under .500.  Its still early in th-- Wait a minute.  Its June.  Enough is enough.  There's way too much talent on this team to be under .500 this late.  Adrian Gonzalez is under-performing, to say the least, with 5 home runs and 49 strikeouts for a .260 average.  Only four players on the Sox are hitting over .300, with just as many players hitting under .260.

The lowest ERA of our starters is Josh Beckett, with 4.14.  Awful.  And power pitching is out the window, considering only two have over 60 strikeouts.

Saving graces of the Red Sox?  Scott Atchison and Will Middlebrooks.  Taking the bronze medal would be Cody Ross, and this .GIF above will show up a lot more once he's back in the line-up.  Losing outfielders every day is becoming demoralizing, but eventually you would think the team would say enough is enough and step up.  Sox play tomorrow night, with Felix Doubront facing Ricky Nolasco.

Go Sox.