Following up on last night’s Josh Johnson news, Marlins beat writer Joe Firsario reports that the deal contains a $500,000 bonus for a Cy Young award and a $50,000 bump in the extremely likely event that he makes the All-Star game. I mean, yeah, Hanley Ramirez will be your designated Marlins representative in the All-Star Game for the foreseeable future, but they choose like 112 pitchers anymore, so Johnson can probably spend that 50K now if he wants to. There’s a $1 million bonus for him being the World Series MVP too. I would mock that, but I wasn’t expecting 1997 or 2003, so I’m out of the hate-on-the-Marlins-chances business.
Maybe more significantly, Johnson himself confirmed in a radio interview last night that the deal does not contain a no-trade clause. Given the young man’s skills and promise, and given that this is still a pretty manageable contract for an ace, you can’t rule out the Marlins shopping him at some point, gun-to-their-head or not.
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- Old Gator - Jan 15, 2010 at 4:10 PM
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“Given the young man’s skills and promise, and given that this is still a pretty manageable contract for an ace, you can’t rule out the Marlins shopping him at some point, gun-to-their-head or not.”
-Craig Calcaterra, Fri Jan 15,2010 2:20 PM ET
“I wouldn’t be even a little surprised if they now turned around and traded Johnson to the Mariners in return for another bushel basket full of EYPs….Look, I don’t want to sound like I’m unhappy about keeping Josh. I am thrilled, assuming we actually do keep him. What would the Borg pay a free agent with Josh’s numbers? $9.6 million per year for 15-5 wouldn’t make them flinch, not even under their current enlightened Romulan regime. Hell, they might even agree to pay the Feesh $2.5 million a year extra towards Josh’s salary. You see Loria saying “no” to that? Gun to his head? Remember what Jack Benny said when they put a gun to his head and said “your money or your life?” Right. He said “gimme a minute to think about it.” And Jeffrey Loria makes Jack Benny look like Prince Johannes Thurn und Taxis.”
-Old Gator, Thu Jan 14,2010 9:35 PM ET
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- Craig Calcaterra - Jan 15, 2010 at 4:14 PM
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Doris Kearns Goodwin was guest blogging that post. She lost her ID, so I let her use mine. Sorry for the mixup.
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- Old Gator - Jan 15, 2010 at 4:18 PM
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Doris Kearns Goodwin. Didn’t she draft the Tonkin Gulf Resolution for Lyndon Johnson?
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- Luis - Jan 15, 2010 at 11:48 PM
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You two really need to get a room and get it over with.
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- Moses Green - Jan 16, 2010 at 7:23 AM
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I would be soooooo jealous.
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- Luis - Jan 16, 2010 at 8:03 PM
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Have a thing for prolix, reptilian windbags, do you?
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- Old Gator - Jan 16, 2010 at 10:50 PM
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Don’t pout, Mo. Luis is just vermoulu with envy ’cause he ain’t got no fan club.
