Dave Krieger writes this morning about a flawed system that forces a team to have to trade a big beloved slugger from the middle of the line-up instead of signing him to a long-term deal… yeah, he’s right you know, this free agency thing just blows.  A player of Holliday’s quality should be forced to stay with his original team for whatever that team wants to pay him.  Ridiculous.  Now one could argue that Holliday’s pay demands were/are high… that there should be some loyalty on the part of the player, but if the system isn’t working why can the Rays make it to the World Series?  And more importantly why would another small market team be the one that trades for him?  The Rockies could hold onto Holliday, and play out their days with him, or never competing in the playoffs again, or they can improve several areas of their team at once while sending him to the A’s who will either trade him at the deadline for prospects or let him leave at the end of the season for a first round draft pick.  Billy Beane, Oaklands GM, has made a career and a successful franchise out of this system… as have the Twins and now perhaps the Rockies.  The Twins didn’t look so awful for having let Johan Santana and Torii Hunter go in the last off-season… in fact they got better.  Before Mr. Krieger writes about how flawed the system is, perhaps he just needs to look around and see how its working if you know how to work it.

Sure, it is a new way of doing business in Colorado.  But, as Krieger points out, the old way of giving ridiculous contracts to mediocre players didn’t work so well… thankfully the Rockies aren’t paying for Mike Hampton any longer.  They are building with young players, as the Rays did.  And honestly, I think thats more fun to watch than the method Krieger seems so envious of. Even many Yankee fans will tell you they love that Jeter, Posada and Mariano came up as Yankees — true Yankees and all that.  Let go of the jealousy that other teams can pay more for players– embrace the idea that with letting go of Holliday the Rockies can be about winning again.

On the Marlins front, this Clark Spencer piece gives some background on the deal they pulled off with the Nationals sending Willingham and Olsen to the Nationals.  The lose a couple of arbitration eligible players and pick up some serious speed and defense in Bonifacio.  Bonifacio has a way to go with his bat, but could easily mature with the other young Marlins.  Its unclear where the Marlins plan on playing him, though they could trade Dan Uggla this off-season and open up a spot.  The one thing that this indicates is that despite finalizing plans for the new stadium the Marlins aren’t ready to chase a pennant to win prior to that stadium opening. Hopefully, once they get their new stadium the Marlins business model will change.  If it doesn’t, then its clear fault lies with ownership… no one can continue to point to Wayne Huizenga who sold of players after the 1997 World Series.  From the point above, the Twins and the A’s have shown the way to build from within and still win. If the Marlins organization isn’t learning, then fault lies with them not with the system.