In an effort to contend in a new ballpark this year, the newly rechristened Miami Marlins have made some big spending moves this offseason to bolster their team. Two of them have been fairly routine, though no less impactful for it. They've addressed their need for a closer with Heath Bell, and added a top starter in Mark Buehrle. Their third big move, however, is a little more interesting. They signed Jose Reyes, who's coming off a very nice season with the Mets at shortstop. All of his numbers last year were far above his career average, but his career numbers are all very nice as well. He's an All-Star caliber shortstop any way you spin it.
The problem? Miami already has an All-Star caliber shortstop any way you spin it.
Hanley Ramirez had three consecutive All-Star campaigns and was generally considered one of the best shortstops in all of baseball before being set back by injury this season. Which makes the acquisition of Reyes an interesting thing. Like most shortstops, both men are pretty defensive of the position. Guys who play shortstop tend to like to stay there. The overwhelming consensus is that Hanley has two choices - move to 3rd base, or get traded.
The first question I'd like to pose here is this - is moving Hanley to 3rd the right move to make?
When you look at the numbers, it seems obvious to me that yes, Hanley has got to move to 3rd in this situation. Offensively, he's better than Reyes. But it doesn't matter what position he's playing, he can hit those numbers from anywhere. What matters here is defense. And Hanley is pretty bad at it. Look at almost any defensive metric you want, he's pretty bad. He owns one of the worst UZR/150 of any shortstop in baseball over the last few years, and he looks pretty bad by any other metric, too. Reyes isn't great in his own right - he has a negative UZR/150 as well, but less so than Ramirez. The case seems overwhelming to me that if Ramirez is going to continue being a Marlin, he has to move to 3rd. The Marlins are making the right call here, for a certainty.
The other interesting thing here is how it parallels the Yankees in 2004, in a much more high profile move wherein the Yankees traded for Alex Rodriguez. The problem? Derek Jeter was already occupying that spot. This situation went just the opposite way of the Marlins' situation this year. A-Rod was the best defensive shortstop in baseball over the last two years any way you spin it. Meanwhile, Derek Jeter's defensive numbers were slumping. But Jeter, the face of the franchise and team captain, refused to give up his spot, and Rodriguez moved to 3rd.
Should he have? Did Jeter have the right to play any position he wanted, given his history? Or should the Yankees have insisted, and placed Alex Rodriguez at short, moving Jeter to (probably) center field? One interesting caveat here - the traditional metrics were a little more favorable to Jeter than advanced ones, which may have been part of the decision.
So, are the Marlins making the right move here? Sabermetrics say yes, but not everyone buys into them. Did the Yankees, in the same situation, make the right move in 2004? Sabermetrics say no, but once again, not everyone buys them, and there are even more circumstances surrounding that one.
The problem? Miami already has an All-Star caliber shortstop any way you spin it.
Hanley Ramirez had three consecutive All-Star campaigns and was generally considered one of the best shortstops in all of baseball before being set back by injury this season. Which makes the acquisition of Reyes an interesting thing. Like most shortstops, both men are pretty defensive of the position. Guys who play shortstop tend to like to stay there. The overwhelming consensus is that Hanley has two choices - move to 3rd base, or get traded.
The first question I'd like to pose here is this - is moving Hanley to 3rd the right move to make?
When you look at the numbers, it seems obvious to me that yes, Hanley has got to move to 3rd in this situation. Offensively, he's better than Reyes. But it doesn't matter what position he's playing, he can hit those numbers from anywhere. What matters here is defense. And Hanley is pretty bad at it. Look at almost any defensive metric you want, he's pretty bad. He owns one of the worst UZR/150 of any shortstop in baseball over the last few years, and he looks pretty bad by any other metric, too. Reyes isn't great in his own right - he has a negative UZR/150 as well, but less so than Ramirez. The case seems overwhelming to me that if Ramirez is going to continue being a Marlin, he has to move to 3rd. The Marlins are making the right call here, for a certainty.
The other interesting thing here is how it parallels the Yankees in 2004, in a much more high profile move wherein the Yankees traded for Alex Rodriguez. The problem? Derek Jeter was already occupying that spot. This situation went just the opposite way of the Marlins' situation this year. A-Rod was the best defensive shortstop in baseball over the last two years any way you spin it. Meanwhile, Derek Jeter's defensive numbers were slumping. But Jeter, the face of the franchise and team captain, refused to give up his spot, and Rodriguez moved to 3rd.
Should he have? Did Jeter have the right to play any position he wanted, given his history? Or should the Yankees have insisted, and placed Alex Rodriguez at short, moving Jeter to (probably) center field? One interesting caveat here - the traditional metrics were a little more favorable to Jeter than advanced ones, which may have been part of the decision.
So, are the Marlins making the right move here? Sabermetrics say yes, but not everyone buys into them. Did the Yankees, in the same situation, make the right move in 2004? Sabermetrics say no, but once again, not everyone buys them, and there are even more circumstances surrounding that one.
