After talking to several teams, including the Dodgers, Red Sox and others, the Marlins expect to keep Josh Johnson now.
This should come as no surprise since they were said to be asking for either a "Mark Teixeira type'' deal or a "Colon'' deal, according to a report here several says ago.
What that means is, the Marlins were looking for an enormous return. The Rangers received Matt Harrison, Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia for Teixeira. The Indians got Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips back for Colon.
Deals like that just don't happen anymore
The Marlins can't be blamed for liking the talented Johnson, but with teams reluctant to surrender big-time prospects and Johnson not having his usual year (he's 6-7 with a 4.04 ERA), there was no chance for them to get what they sought.
There were also questions about Johnson's velocity readings and consistency in recent weeks. the Rangers pulled out a few days ago, before Johnson's rough outing over the weekend.
The Marlins still have Johnson under contract for two more years at $13.5 million a year.
