The very idea of the Miami Marlins signing Albert Pujols seems laughable at first blush, right? Pujols has been a Cardinal his career career, and odds are that he's likely going to finish his career as one too. While there are certainly going to be other teams that make a run for him this offseason, I always expected those teams to be ones with, you know, money. The Rangers, Cubs, Angels - teams of that ilk. In no way did I expect the Miami Marlins to be major players for the biggest free agent on the market.
↵But here we are, and the Marlins have apparently decided they have money to burn. Their naming ceremony is tonight, but it seems like they have already transitioned from the small-market Florida Marlins into the mid-to-large market Miami Marlins. And these Miami Marlins are going to make a run at Albert Pujols.
↵A week ago, Baseball Nation's Grant Brisbee took a look at this scenario and decided it was nuts.
↵↵↵Dropping Pujols's name is about 99.99% public relations, and .01% rumor, but it's not hard to see them going after Prince Fielder with all they have and figuring out what to do with Gaby Sanchez later. When you're building a new park, Fielder will sell season-ticket packages, and Sanchez will sell a few shirseys.
↵And from a purely baseball perspective, the Marlins need hitting. Their 625 runs from 2011 was the lowest total for a full season since the expansion version in 1993 that had Orestes Destrade hitting cleanup for most of the year.
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It's amazing how much can change in ten days. If I had to break it down like Brisbee did, right now I'd suggest the Pujols rumors are 75% public relations and 25% real. The odds that the Marlins land Pujols are still minuscule, but they do need offense. And they do need to get fans excited about their re-branded, re-energized team. What better way to get then Miami area excited than by landing the best player in baseball (who, by the way, also happens to be Hispanic)?
↵So no, I don't think the idea of the Marlins getting Pujols is all that crazy. Improbable? Unlikely? Sure, but not insane. In fact, it's seeming more and more likely by the day.
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