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Agent: Offseason trade for Marlins ace unlikely

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Ken Rosenthal

Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since August 2005. He appears weekly on MLB on FOX. Follow him on Twitter.

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Updated Nov 28, 2009 1:32 PM ET
     
 
The Marlins do not plan to trade right-hander Josh Johnson this offseason, according to two sources with knowledge of the club's intentions. Johnson's agent, Matt Sosnick, is even more adamant that a deal will not occur. "I'd be less surprised if Elijah showed up at my parents' house this Passover than if they trade him before the start of the season," Sosnick said. In Jewish tradition, a cup of wine is poured on Passover for Elijah the Prophet, whose arrival would herald the coming of the Messiah. Johnson, 25, is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season. The Marlins could trade him at any point before then, or keep him at arbitration-inflated salaries in each of the next two years. If Johnson leaves as a free agent, the team will receive only draft picks as compensation. If Johnson doesn't sign a long-term contract, he could be part of an exceptional group of free agent starters after the 2011 season. At present, that class includes Seattle's Felix Hernandez, Detroit's Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson, Houston's Wandy Rodriguez and Pittsburgh's Zach Duke. Sosnick told ESPN.com earlier this month that negotiations with the Marlins over a long-term deal broke down over the team's reluctance to offer Johnson more than three years. Other sources said the Marlins are willing to offer Johnson four years, but unwilling to increase his salary above shortstop Hanley Ramirez's in their respective free-agent years. Ramirez will earn $15 million, $15.5 million and $16 million in what would have been his free-agent years — 2012, '13 and '14. Johnson could surpass those numbers if he becomes a free agent before his age 28 season. Sosnick said the Marlins never mentioned Ramirez's contract in their recent negotiations, and that their financial offer was never within 20 percent of Ramirez's free-agent numbers. That would put their highest offer for a free-agent year at $12.8 million — 80 percent of $16 million. Johnson was 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA last season, and made his first All-Star team. For his career, he is 34-16 with a 3.40 ERA. FOXSports.com baseball writer Jon Paul Morosi contributed to this report.
Tagged: Josh Johnson, Marlins

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