Marlins Renew Interest in Pudge

Ivan Rodriguez was the final, and some say most important, piece of the puzzle for the 2003 World Series champion Marlins. So it's no surprise that a certain longing for the good old days remains in Florida. The Marlins interest in "Pudge II" has been on again, off again for about a year now. If the price is right, a Rodriguez return could be on again. But they're only prepared to offer about a million dollars guaranteed to the man who was a central figure in a championship.

Oh how the mighty have fallen, or at least how the mighty have gotten old.

Part of the reason that he would have to accept such a low contract would be that he would probably be a platoon player with John Baker, who is being given a real chance to win the job with his impressive stats in limited action with the Marlins last year. But Rodriguez is a good insurance policy for when the league inevitably figures Baker out if he's willing to take that kind of contract, or if someone else doesn't hand out a bigger deal with a promise of more playing time. And who's handing those out these days?

Even contracts of merely $1 million are dicey for the Marlins, which makes me wonder if this really has a chance of happening. But with the Marlins being right there for almost all of last season, Rodriguez could be one of those signings that could be useful to a young team down the stretch.

Marlins Renew Interest in Pudge originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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