Marlins Make Offers to Pujols, Reyes, Buehrle
By Mark Polishuk [November 11, 2011 at 5:03pm CST]
The Marlins have made "substantial offers" to both Albert Pujols and Jose
Reyes, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and have also offered a contract to
Mark Buehrle, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (both Twitter links). The team
met with Pujols today, Reyes on Wednesday and Buehrle on Tuesday but apparently
already felt comfortable enough to make contract offers, though Heyman reports
there is "nothing close" to a deal with any of the three.
Miami's aggressiveness is no surprise, given how the Marlins have been in hot
pursuit of several top free agents already this offseason. It's unlikely that
Pujols, Reyes or Buehrle would sign so early without fully exploring the market
for their services, though a blow-away offer from the Marlins could change
their minds.
The Marlins' payroll was expected to increase by as much as $35MM this winter,
but signing Pujols, Reyes and Buehrle would add at least $60MM to the 2012
payroll. That's a big outlay for three players