Last Friday the Florida Marlins made further moves to try and strengthen their bullpen for the upcoming 2009 MLB season. The Marlins have reached an agreement with former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Proctor. The deal is a 1-year contract worth $750,000 and includes $250,000 in incentives.

Proctor is a 32 year old right hander coming off a 2008 season in which he missed 2 months and was left off the Dodgers post season roster. Proctor posted a 2-0 record in 38 2/3 innings with a 6.05 ERA last season and has a career ERA of 4.42 in 262 games. Proctor had surgery in October to repair a partially torn flexor tendon but is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

The deal for Proctor hasn’t been confirmed yet as he needs to pass a physical today for the deal to be finalized. Assuming Proctor joins the Marlins, he’ll be given a chance to compete for a bullpen spot with the Marlins. It is unlikely that Proctor will get any chances as a starting pitcher. The signing of Proctor is odd as he doesn’t bring a lot of promise to the table and is coming off the surgery on his pitching elbow.

The Florida Marlins avoided arbitration with SP Josh Johnson on Wednesday by signing the 24 year old right hander to a 1yr $1.4 million deal which includes $50,000 in incentives. Johnson had a wonderful rookie season in 2006 when he went 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA. Late in that season however Johnson felt tightness in his forearm on his throwing arm. After Tommy John surgery cost him his 2007 season, Johnson return to the Marlins rotation in 2008 in style.

Johnson was 7-1 in 14 starts in 2008 with a 3.71 ERA. Johnson logged 87 1/3, striking out 77 and walking 27. Johnson made an amazing recovery from his Tommy John surgery and proved he was worth keeping around. With Johnson signed, the Marlins should feel good about their chances in 2009. Johnson, along with Nolasco, is perhaps the key piece of a young and talented pitching rotation that has the potential to lead the Marlins to the post season in 2009.

In signing Johnson, the Marlins avoided going to arbitration with him. That leaves the Marlins with 8 players still arbitration-eligible: Jorge Cantu, Ricky Nolasco, Dan Uggla, Dallas McPherson, Logan Kensing, Jeremy Hermida, Alfredo Amezaga, and Cody Ross.

Last week the Marlins continued to once again change the look of their roster in the offseason as left handed reliever Arthur Rhodes was not resigned by the Marlins, instead chosing to sign a 2yr $4 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds.

Rhodes came to the Marlins from the Seattle Mariners at last season’s trade deadline to bolster the Marlins’ bullpen and add another left handed reliever. Rhodes was everything the Marlins could have asked for as he posted a 2-0 record with a 0.68 ERA in 25 appearances. In the 13 1/3 innings pitched by Rhodes, he allowed only 1 ER while getting 14Ks and allowing 3BBs.

Rhodes’ departure left the Marlins’ roster at 39 men, allowing them to participate in baseball’s Rule 5 draft. The Marlins’ only Major League pick was Zach Kroenke who was taken out of the New York Yankees farm system. Kroenke is a 24 yr old left hander who went 7-0 with a 2.85 ERA last season for the Yankees AA team.

Kroenke will be thrown in the mix come Spring Training with Renyel Pinto, Taylor Tankersley, and Dan Meyer to compete for a spot in the Marlins’ bullpen as a left handed relief specialist. Left handed relievers are a priceless commodity in baseball these days, especially in the NL East where the Marlins face such devastating left handed batters as Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Chipper Jones. Not only is a good lefty reliever important to neutralize these players, but in the case of Beltran and Jones a lefty can even force these guys to the right side of the plate as switch hitters.

All in all, the Marlins have been making good moves in the offseason. Obviously the team hopes Kroenke can have an effect for the Marlins in the near future, but players chosen in the Rule 5 draft rarely turn into superstars. That being said, the Marlins got 2B Dan Uggla in the 2005 Rule 5 draft and look how that turned out.

Baseball’s Winter Meeting is generally a time of great change for the Marlins. Season after season the Marlins come in as shoppers, looking to drop veterans or pricey players in favor of a steal somewhere along the line. This year has been no different really.

Late last week the Marlins decided it was time to part ways with long time C Matt Treanor. Treanor spent 10 years in the minor leagues before getting called up in 2004 by the Marlins. Treanor was always a backup to one catcher or another for the Marlins until the 2008 season. Treanor’s season however was marred by hip injuries and he appeared in only 65 games. At 32 (33 in March 09) the Marlins didn’t feel Treanor would be the catcher to go forward with.

With the departure of Treanor the job, for now, belongs to John Baker who will be backed up by Mike Rabelo. In Baker’s rookie year last season he appeared in 61 games and was an impressive .299 at the plate with 5 HRs and 32 RBIs. Rabelo was less impressive at the plate, but is solid behind the plate.

Nevertheless, as the Winter Meetings drew to a close this weekend the Marlins were still rumored to be seeking a catcher to challenge Baker for the starting job. The top two names on the list are free agent Michael Barrett and Texas Ranger Max Ramirez. Both have been targeted by the Marlins all offseason so far. Barrett is an 11 year veteran who would likely be more of a backup to Baker as he has been less than impressive in the past few seasons. Ramirez is very young and appeared in only 17 games last season, batting .217 with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs.

Baker, barring a very poor outing in Spring Training, is likely to end up as the Marlins’ starting catcher come opening day 2009. Adding Ramirez would leave the Marlins with little depth at catcher as Rabelo, with his 3 season in the Majors, would be the most seasoned. Barrett brings less potential for the future but has more experience behind the plate than Baker and Rabelo combined. All things considered, the Marlins couldn’t go wrong in chosing either Ramirez or Barrett.

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.

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.

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.