With the megadeal between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Miami Marlins completed, Mark Buehrle and his agent Jeff Berry trashed the Marlins front office for trading Buerhle after they allege that the Marlins said that Buerhle wouldn't be traded.
“I’m upset with how things turned out in Miami,” Buehrle said. “Just like the fans in South Florida, I was lied to on multiple occasions. But I’m putting it behind me and looking forward to moving on with my career.”
Buerhle's statement was actually tame in comparison to that of his agent Berry, who let loose a barrage of words that are absolutely damning towards David Samson, Larry Beinfest, and Jeffrey Loria of the Marlins.
“In an off-season of change and uncertainty, the overriding factor in Mark’s signing with Miami was Ozzie Guillen and the level of comfort his presence provided Mark and his family,” Berry said in his statement. “While the Marlins were the highest bidder, baseball had already made Mark a wealthy man, so money was far from the most important factor in his decision.
“Throughout the recruiting process, the Marlins made repeated assurances about their long-term commitment to Mark and his family and their long-term commitment to building a winning tradition of Marlins baseball in the new stadium. This was demonstrated by their already completed signings of Ozzie, Heath Bell and Jose Reyes.
“At the same time, given the Marlins’ history, we were all certainly aware of and voiced concern about the lack of no-trade protection. This is unquestionably a business, and signing with the Marlins was a calculated risk. Mark held up his end of the bargain; unfortunately, the same can't be said of the Marlins.”
That's a fantastic response from Berry, and I don't think he's really lying about anything or stretching the truth. Sure, the Marlins have never given out a no-trade clause in their history, but when they spend $201 million on three players and one manager in one offseason, and deal (or fire, in the case of fomer manager Ozzie Guillen) them all a year later, I think Buehrle has a right to be pissed off.
