Is It Almost Time For Josh Johnson To Go?

Let me start off my saying that my name is Ryan Gaydos and I am one of the newest bloggers here at Marlins Daily. I will do my best to bring you the best Miami Marlins coverage out there. I am very thankful to be given this new position at Marlins Daily.

Now with all the introductions out of the way, let’s get to some Marlins talk starting with the ace of the new-look rotation, Josh Johnson. Johnson has been known in recent years for holding the Marlins rotation together and yet also being the most injury prone of the rotation. We have all seen him at his best when he’s healthy.

When Johnson is unhealthy, it seems like the rest of the rotation rots and no one feels like stepping up until the end of the season. The Marlins saw that when Javier Vazquez who finished 13-11 and won his last six decisions consecutively.

Last season, Josh Johnson was on a hot streak. He was 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA and was one of the hottest pitchers in the league. Then Johnson was sidelined with shoulder inflammation and was never seen from again. Johnson was moved from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list in June and after that there was no hope left.

The only good news received about Josh Johnson last season when he was inevitably finished for the year was that he would not have to undergo Tommy John surgery. You could literally hear the sigh of relief coming from Florida when that bit of information was announced. Now, Johnson will be throwing off a mound within two weeks according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.

With the threat of Johnson being injury looming every year, maybe it should be time that the new, radical Miami Marlins do something that is, well, radical. That something would be looking to trade Johnson for some younger pitching or maybe a pitcher that is less prone to injuries than Johnson is.

There is no time to panic in Miami because the 2012 season has not even started yet. When Johnson is healthy, he is great and that is something that should be a selling point for the Marlins if they do indeed try to trade Johnson in the near future. In the past five seasons, Johnson is 36-16 in 88 games pitched. Those totals seem impressive but in those five seasons he has only managed to pitch over 25 games twice due to injuries.

Another bad part of trading Johnson is that he is signed to the Marlins until 2013 and will be owed $13.7 million this year and the next.

The idea of Johnson possibly being traded probably does not sit well with some Marlins fans. But maybe he could be used to attract younger talent in Miami so that the Marlins could start building a possible foundation for the future beyond the likes of Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle.

Should the Miami Marlins trade Josh Johnson? What do you think?

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