As expected, with several Marlins player headed for arbitration this season (and big salary increases as a result) the team was going to be active as usual in the offseason, altering their roster to meet team finances. We’ve already seen Mike Jacobs, Scott Olsen, Josh Willingham, and Kevin Gregg depart Miami, so who will be next?

As far as big names are concerned, Dan Uggla remains the lone question mark in the offseason. The Marlins are already blessed with a plethora of infield players in Jorge Cantu, Hanley Ramirez, Dallas McPherson, Gaby Sanchez, and Emilio Bonifacio (acquired via trade this week). With this depth and the acquisition of Bonifacio, Uggla becomes even more expendable. With Jacobs gone, Cantu likely will play 1st, leaving 3rd open to McPherson, Ramirez will be at SS, and 2B will be competed for between Sanchez, Bonifacio, and Uggla (assuming he stays).

The depth of the Marlins infield, combined with financial limitations of the team, makes Uggla expendable. Uggla would make good trade bait for the Marlins as he’s a solid young player who, despite issues in the field this season and a pension for Ks at the plate, has tremendous upside and would be a good addition to any infield in baseball. Don’t be surprised if Uggla is moved soon.

The Marlins search to lighten their wallet in the offseason continued today as one time closer Kevin Gregg was traded to the Chicago Cubs for a minor league prospect, 21 year old relief pitcher Jose Ceda. Gregg’s departure will likely bring more sighs of relief to South Florida than it will concerns.

Gregg was due to make roughly $4 million this season through arbitration, and while this move appears strictly money driven, it is not. Gregg had 61 saves for the Marlins during the 2007 and 2008 seasons, but became more of a liability than a sure thing in ’08 as he tied for the Major League lead with 9 blown saves. Gregg was going to be gone this offseason whether he was due $1 million or $4 million this coming season, this much became clear at the end of the ’08 season as he lost his job to Matt Lindstrom.

In return, the Marlins get one of the Cubs top pitching prospects, 21 year old Jose Ceda. Ceda was 2-2 with a 4.80 ERA in Single A last season and 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 22 relief appearances in Double A. Ceda is an imposing figure on the mound, standing 6’4″ and 275lbs. Ceda isn’t going to be asked to carry the Marlins bullpen, but will be a nice addition and should he live up to the hype, will be a solid addition in the future.

Money or no money, Gregg needed to go. If the Marlins could have the 9 games back that Gregg blew, they could have made the playoffs in ’08 and continued their magical season. The fact of the matter is, Gregg has good heat and a great slider, but he lacks control over said slider which proved to be his downfall as closer. This deal is win win for the Marlins as it frees up even more money for managment to make one GOOD deal in the offseason and spend some cash to bring in a solid performer.

The Florida Marlins have made another offseason deal to trim costs and try to improve on a roster of players that just missed the playoffs in the 2008 season. On Monday the Marlins worked out a trade that sends OF Josh Willingham and SP Scott Olsen to the Washington Nationals in exchange for 2B Emilio Bonifacio and a pair of minor league prospects.

Unlike the trade that sent Mike Jacobs to Kansas City, this deal was much more financially driven. Both Willingham and Olsen are due hefty pay raises through arbitration this year, a blow the Marlins wanted to avoid. That being said, the trade is not a terrible decision for the Marlins, assuming management lives up to its promise to spend more this offseason.

Willingham and Olsen were loyal soldiers for the Marlins in their time in Miami, but in the long run were not going to be the best players to build the franchise around. Olsen has 4 seasons under his belt, his best coming in 2006 when he went 12-10, since then however he is an unimpressive 18-26. Olsen has started strong most seasons but fades quickly and is wildly inconsistent. Willingham is a good power hitter, but cannot hit for average and has had problems recently with back injuries that have shortened his seasons and decreased his effectiveness at the plate.

The Marlins biggest problems last season were defensive errors and relief pitching. The team has already begun the process of rebuilding their bullpen and filling the team with guys that can get on base. Bonifacio is young, 23, and though relatively inexperienced he brings great speed and a solid glove on defense.

Though it may feel sad to see Willingham and Olsen depart the Marlins, the only team they’ve ever played for in MLB, in the long run it will serve both parties best. The Marlins starting rotation is healthy enough, it can survive the loss of Olsen and Willingham’s production can be replaced by young guys like Cameron Maybin. Mangement however is still on the hook, they need to make the most of this trade. By dumping both these guys, the Marlins lose not only their current drag on the payroll, but also avoid a huge hit through arbitration. It is management’s turn to show Marlins’ fans they are going to live up to their word. The team needs to go out now and secure either a big bat or a good starting pitcher through free agency or trade, and spend BIG in the process. It is time to show your committment to a city and region that has shown you theirs.

On Monday the Florida Marlins continued to add to their bullpen in hopes of a steadier performance in 2009. At the GM Winter Meetings, the Marlins claimed LHP Dan Meyer off of waivers from the Oakland Athletics. Though used as a starter at times by the Athletics, the Marlins intend to use him exclusively in the bullpen.

The 27 year old Meyer was 0-4 in 4 starts last season for Oakland, with an ERA of 7.48. Meyer is better than his ERA would suggest however. When used out of the bullpen Meyer was much more effective going 2-3 innings instead of 5+ innings.

Meyer will be thrown into the Marlins’ bullpen in Spring Training and will compete with fellow lefties Renyel Pinto, Taylor Tankersley, and minor league prospect Aaron Thompson to see who will be the top left handed reliever for the team. Regardless of whether he wins the top spot or not, one of the Marlins biggest problems last season was a lack of depth in the bullpen, especially among left handers (a coveted possession in any teams bullpen). Renyel Pinto had the burden of carrying the majority of the work load last season and burned out. Pinto might very well come out on top again next season, but having more than one reliable lefty in the bullpen is crucial, every game is important.