Lets not lie, every offseason the baseball world lies in wait to see what the Florida Marlins are going to do. Are they going to sign a big name for a short term shot at the post season (ala Carlos Delgado in 2005)? Or are they going to sell off every player of value in the interest of slashing payroll as they did in 2006 with Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell or last season with Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis?

Well, the Marlins have made their first move, and though on the surface this move appears to be a payroll slash, it is actually a wise move. The Marlins finalized a deal with the Kansas City Royals that sends 1B Mike Jacobs to the Royals for relief pitcher Leo Nunez. Nunez is 25 and though he is not an imposing pitcher on the mound physically, he has good stuff. His fastball can hit the mid 90s and his slider has some serious bite on it.

On the surface, this move appears to be in the interest of keeping payroll low. Jacobs made $395,000 in 2008 and could have made $3 million in 2009 through arbitration. However, there are 3 reasons why this move works perfectly for the Marlins:

A) The Marlins have a glut of infielders at their disposal. Jacob’s departure means top prospect Gaby Sanchez will be given a chance to win the job at 1B. In the event he cannot prove himself ready for the job, Jorge Cantu can play 1B and Dallas McPherson 3B.

B) Relief pitching was the Marlins greatest weakness last season, Nunez will be a welcome addition to a much maligned bullpen.

C) Mike Jacobs was a terrific power hitter, knocking 32 homeruns last season and was a part of the MLB’s first ever infield crew to all hit at least 25 homeruns. Jacobs however was a big defensive liability and wasn’t capable of hitting for average as he had one of the worst on base percentages on the team.

The Marlins did what they needed to do. They had too many infielders and someone had to go. Their biggest need in the offseason was bullpen, so they did exactly what they needed. They traded a player who while valuable in the power department, was a liability on defense and not capable of getting on base when needed and in return strengthened their bullpen.

As the Florida Marlins 2008 season concluded we look back on what went right, what went wrong, and what leaves us with hope for the 2009 season:

The good: The Marlins set a new club record for homeruns in a season. They smashed the ball everywhere they went and shared the wealth with 7 players hitting over 15 homers. Worried about an innings eater the Marlins had 2 pitchers throw for over 200 innings and Josh Johnson and Chris Volstad averaged 6+ innings a start from the time they were brought up. Jorge Cantu signed in the offseason to replace Cabrera did a solid job of it and finished as the Marlins 2nd best all around hitter with 29 homeruns, a team high 95 RBI’s and a solid 277 batting clip. Also a pleasant suprise was Jon Baker who was brought up due to injuries to the catching group. Baker not only provided a lift offensively by hitting 299 and driving in 32 runs in less than 200 at-bats, but he was able to call some great games. Johnson and Nolasco’s complete games were caught by Baker and he may have saved the Marlins from having to pursue a top flight catcher this offseason.

The bad: Defense while improved, was still a big factor and the Marlins struggled all year. Also the team struck out too many times and struggled moving runners up and scoring with a man on third and less than two outs. The Marlins can’t live on the 3 run homer forever and need to stop leaving easy runs out on the field.

The Hope” The hope for 2009 is strong. Cameron Maybin played great as a September call-up and will no doubt be the Marlins opening day center-fielder. The pitching staff took huge strides this year and with a healthy Johnson, Sanchez and Nolasco to go along with a matured Olsen, Volstad and Miller, the Marlins have a starting staff that can carry them to a Division title next year.

Wes Helms has signed a new 2 year, $1.9 million deal to remain with the Florida Marlins. This officially opens the door for what is expected to be an interesting, if not downright exciting, offseason for the Marlins.

Wes Helms is not going to be the highlight signing, at least we hope not, for the Marlins this offseason. Nonetheless, Helms is a wise choice to throw a litte money at to keep around. Helms is a veteran and though he’ll only be a spot starter and pinch hitter, he’s not a bad choice to have for a back up and has some dedication and commitment to the Marlins. Helms asked near the end of the 2008 season to remain with the Marlins and was rewarded with a 2 year deal.

Helms won’t light up the scoreboard but he is a reliable back up to have in the game. Helms batted .243 this season with 5 HR and 31 RBIs. In pinch hitting situations Helms boasted an impressive .317 average and 2 HR, including the tie breaker in the 8th inning of the season finale that booted the Mets from the playoffs.

Helms is a 3rd baseman by nature but is capable of backing up at 1st base as well. The question now becomes how will this effect the jobs of Jorge Cantu and Mike Jacobs. Helms isn’t going to challenge either for their starting job, however with Dallas McPherson expected to be up with the Marlins full time next year, 3rd base is covered. This seasons 3rd baseman, Cantu, is capable of playing 1st and 2nd as well, meaning between Helms, Cantu, and Jacobs, someone will likely be departing South Florida. Jacobs would likely be the odd man out in such a scenario.

Alright, now the Marlins have not even been done for a full week, but it is never too early to guess at what the Marlins can/will do over the winter to improve themselves for the 2009 season. I know what you’re thinking, what do you mean improve? This team just finished within a few games of making the playoffs in the NL and were in it till the last week. They sure were, but what fun is life without striving to always get a little better. The Marlins CAN make the playoffs next year and it won’t take a lot of shifting, so lets just take a walk down “Imaginary Lane” and take a look at what the Marlins offseason should look like to make them a contender in 2009.

First off, lets put a new twist on an old South Florida trick, the player sale. Only this time there will be no sign outside Dolphin Stadium saying “Fire Sale: Get Your Red Hot Ballplayers!”. The Marlins have 17 players eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, and it is estimated that to resign all those players and maintain 2008’s team, the Marlins payroll would have to double from $21 million to over $40 million. Why waste the money to maintain a team that missed the playoffs, albeit barely, when for the same amount of money a playoff contending team can be put on the field. The Marlins hold players with high trade value and should use them wisely.

The main focus of the Marlins offseason should be to refocus from a power hitting, high strikeout team to one that has improved defense, contact hitting, speed, and solid pitching from beginning to end.

Call ups Cameron Maybin and Gaby Sanchez showed in the last 2 weeks of the season they are ready to go full time for the big club. Dallas McPherson is also ready to move up from AAA to take over at 3rd base, and John Baker grew by leaps and bounds as the season came to a close, he too is ready to go behind the plate for the big club. This means Dan Uggla, Josh Willingham, Jeremy Hermida, Kevin Gregg, and Scott Olsen won’t all be returning next season.

This offseason won’t read like past seasons that have seen successful Marlins teams torn apart to save money. Mr. Loria has his stadium, time to fork over some cash and put a true winner on the field. Scott Olsen and Dan Uggla hold the best trade value of the lot, so they’re gone. Baker takes over behind the plate, Mike Jacobs likely could remain at 1st, Jorge Cantu is a fantastic utility infielder who played 2nd in his time with Tampa Bay, Hanley Ramirez at short, and McPherson at 3rd. Should Cantu not return, Gaby Sanchez will step in and not miss a beat in the field. If Jacobs departs, Cantu plays 1st and Sanchez 2nd.

Some jobs will be lost in the outfield as well. Maybin proved in the last two weeks he’s ready all around, which means Willingham and Hermida are not both likely to stay with the team. Pitching is going to shake up as well. Lindstrom seems ready to take over as the full time closer, sending Kevin Gregg packing, much to the relief of Marlins fans across Florida. Scott Olsen isn’t likely to return either, but with Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad, and Anibal Sanchez returning, the rotation is in good hands regardless.

Lots of things can happen in the following weeks to alter the above scenario, assuming they don’t, the Marlins should be wise when dealing with Uggla and Olsen. The greatest need of the team is extra help in the bullpen, it is imperative that is addressed. It would also be wise to secure one more proven, reliable bat. A starting pitcher would be acceptable, though the Marlins have several talented prospects waiting in the wings to pitch.

It may seem silly to shed power baseball for the manufacturing of runs, but that is not the only thing being accomplished here. These moves won’t be made for the sake of lowering the number of homeruns the team makes, they are dual purpose moves. Improved defense, speed on the base paths, and FEWER strike outs with better contact are necessary if the Marlins want to be strong consistently in 2008. The long ball is fickle, it is there somedays and gone the next, which means playoff chances are too. Consider this, the Minnesota Twins are perhaps the best team in baseball at manufacturing runs, playing “small ball”. They game much closer to the playoffs than the Marlins and did so scoring the 4th MOST runs in MLB. They also were 29th, or next to LAST, in home runs in the majors.