With rumors swirling throughout baseball that the organization is not be done making moves before next week's trade deadline, the Marlins returned to work Tuesday saying the white flag of surrender hasn't been waved yet in their clubhouse.
"They've made two trades -- one to add [first baseman Carlos Lee] and the trade they made yesterday [sending second baseman Omar Infante and pitcher Anibal Sanchez to the Tigers for three prospects]. They traded for positions of depth, that's what I see," said left-hander Wade LeBlanc, who will get the start Saturday in place of Sanchez.
"To me, I don't really see it as selling as yet. I think they believe we can win and everybody in this clubhouse believes we can win."
Said Wednesday's Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco: "I don't think we're waving the white flag yet. It was a business decision. They got back what they wanted. Anibal is going into free agency after the year... I believe we can still win."
Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen echoed those sentiments Tuesday saying: "We still have a base. We still have people here to get this thing done." But at the same time, Guillen said, the players have no one to blame but themselves for being in this position. With a week before the trade deadline, the Marlins (45-51) are 7.5 games back in the National League Wild Card race and 11.5 games back of first-place Washington in the division.
"The people in Miami are used to blaming the front office because they broke up the team [after the 1997 World Series]," Guillen said. "If anybody wants to blame anybody, blame the people wearing this uniform. Don't blame the people wearing ties and sport coats. They do a great job. They did everything to keep this team together. They spent a lot of money, a lot of time.
"We didn't play good in this ballpark and we didn't play good on the road. We don't have an excuse. We played bad because we don't hit with men on base. We don't make the right pitches. We don't play good defense. You combine it all together, it's the players, it's me. You know me, I don't protect anybody from the front office. That's not my thing. But this was not a move like in the past after the championship. This is a move they made because we didn't play up to the potential."
> Guillen said Emilio Bonifacio will be the team's everyday second baseman moving forward. Justin Ruggiano, meanwhile, will replace Bonifacio in centerfield.
"Maybe once and a while we'll have an emergency and put [Donovan] Solano out there," Guillen said of second base. "It depends on how the outfield swings the bat, but I think most of the games Boni is going to be our second baseman... when a guy needs a rest [in the outfield Brian Petersen] will start."
Petersen and left-hander Dan Jennings were the two players the Marlins recalled Tuesday to fill the slots left by Infante and Sanchez.
HANLEY SAYS HE CAN'T CONTROL RUMORS
With his name being thrown around in trade discussions, Hanley Ramirez said Tuesday he's simply focusing on what he does best -- play baseball.
"Unfortunately I can't control that," Ramirez said of the rumors. "The only thing I can control is going out there and in the end getting that W... I don't want to think about it. I just want to concentrate on what I do best -- hit."
Asked about his future with the Marlins, Ramirez said: "That was the reason I signed here. I've been here what seven years now? That was my hope. But like I said it's a business. Hopefully I can stay here. Otherwise, I just want to play and win. Even when you don't do good, you want to win."
