The Marlins face a moutain the size of Mt Everest in their quest for an NL East crown. The NL East division may turn out to be the MOST improved division in all of baseball by the time all is said and done in 2009. The top two contenders, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, both rearmed themselves to chase a division title. Even the bottom feeders of late in the division are in search of redemption. The Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves are making efforts to improve their squads in an attempt to avoid finishing last in the division.

The reigning World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies made sure to resign all their top talent in the offseason and will be no easier to deal with this year than they were last year. The New York Mets went on a spending spree to fix their biggest weakness, the bullpen. The Mets brought in the single season save leader in Francisco Rodriguez and got reliever J.J. Putz. Late game (and season collapses) may be a thing of the past in Queens with Rodriguez in the Mets pen.

The Washington Nationals may find themselves finishing somewhere other than 5th place in the NL East for once, though not much higher. The Nationals got Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham from the Fish, and the addition of Olsen in particular lends some experience and potential to their starting rotation. The Atlanta Braves, though not nearly as successful as their division opponents, have certainly been looking to spend the money to improve as they went after Rafael Furcal of the Dodgers (who backed out last minute to return to LA) and SP Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres. The Braves’ starting rotation was rocked late last season and in the offseason. SP’s Tim Hudson and Tom Glavine may not return until late 2009 (if at all in Hudson’s case) and John Smoltz left town for the Boston Red Sox.

The Marlins for their part, resigned some key players, parted with others, and have yet to settle with others. Dan Uggla is arbitration bound at the moment, Scott Olsen, Josh Willingham, Matt Treanor, and Mike Jacobs have moved on, and Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco have signed contracts to remain in Miami for the time being. The Fish will be looking to do what they do every year, get the most out of youth as they possibly can. Youngsters Cameron Maybin and Gaby Sanchez are the top two players to keep an eye on, a lot will be expected of these guys, but how much can they deliver?

Odds are that come September we’ll see the Phillies and Mets battling for the NL East crown, but don’t count out your Fish. Sure, the Marlins don’t have the star power or bank roll of either team, but last September the Marlins were nipping at the heels of both teams and there isn’t much reason to think they can’t do the same this season. Sure, the departures of Olsen, Jacobs, Willingham, and Treanor looks demoralizing, but Olsen was inconsistent at best after May. Treanor and Willingham weren’t the most productive hitters and spent a lot of time on the DL. Jacobs was productive but strikes out, A LOT.

I would not be surprised to see the Marlins push the Mets and Phillies in the NL East race, finishing no worse than 3rd. The Braves and Nationals are likely to just switch spots in the standings, with the Nationals finishing 4th and the Braves 5th. At some point in the season the Marlins are going to have to step their play up to an All Star level if they want to overtake one or both of the top two teams.

The Marlins’ concerns are not unfounded. Sanchez broke on the scene in 2006 as a rookie and went 10-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 18 games, 17 of which were starts. Sanchez was a non factor in 2007 as he was out from June on after undergoing right shoulder surgery that kept him out until mid August of 2008. Sanchez was limited to 10 starts in 2008.

Normally when a team so blatantly exercises control over a player, treating them more as a commodity than a human being, there is cause for uproar. All too often we see players who sign big contracts that have stipulations preventing them from living a life outside of their sport. Restrictions are put in place to prevent their participation in activities that could sideline them from their sport and make them useless to their team. This time however, the Marlins are acting based upon a history of injury to Sanchez’ right shoulder. It should be noted, Sanchez has not complained about the team’s move and seemingly agrees that the Marlins 2009 season should be more important than the WBC right now.

Everything is at stake in this vote, the future of the Marlins and the future of Miami on the national sports stage. Whether people like to admit to it or not, a cities image on the national stage is greatly improved by having professional sports franchises. That image is even more powerful if your city has a team in each of the nation’s major sports leagues, the NHL, NFL, NBA, and MLB. Miami is one of a few regions of the country that enjoy the luxury of 4 professional sports teams along with the likes of Boston, New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, the Twin Cities, Dallas, the Bay Area, Chicago, and Phoenix.

The Marlins’ future, at least in the eyes of its ownership, is also at stake. Should the city and county block the new stadium and either set it back further or lead to its demise, the Marlins’ days in South Florida could be numbered. Marlins’ fans have for years had to put up with talk of their team being contracted or moved to a city more loving of baseball. No one should assume current Florida owner Jeffrey Loria wouldn’t consider this a viable option if it can make his wallet fatter.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of all this is that a vote in the Marlins favor on the 13th doesn’t guarantee them their new stadium. Critics question whether the city and county will be able to move forward with the project from a financial standpoint. The current economic crisis and credit crunch are going to make borrowing money tougher for the city and county, and could possibly delay construction as material costs rise. Both the city and county are looking at a cost of around $10 million each for road improvement and the movement of power lines at the Little Havana site. Another $1.7 million is expected from both governments to keep the site “green”.

As it stands now, the total for the stadium comes to $609 million. Miami-Dade county is putting up 2/3 of that total, the city of Miami is donating the land for the stadium, and the Marlins are putting up $120 million up front and will repay the county another $35 million through rent. Upon moving into their new ballpark, the Marlins will change their name to the Miami Marlins and will be required (via lease agreement) to remain in the new stadium for 35 years.

In the end, if this stadium deal were to completely fall through for the Marlins, it will be the city of Miami that pays in the end. The Marlins aren’t going to disappear as a franchise all together. If they continue to be stuck playing in Dolphin Stadium and are not as profitable as ownership would like to see, don’t be surprised to see the franchise pack its bags and head for greener pastures. The Marlins, in the short history, have proven successful and look perched to make another run at success with their young, talented group of players. The Marlins’ 2 World Series titles in their history make them just as successful as the Dolphins, and more successful than the Heat and Panthers combined.

In many ways the future of the relationship between Miami and the Marlins will be drastically altered on February 13th. The two sides will either be linked together for several decades (which can hopefully be beneficial to both parties) or they can move farther apart, perhaps ending in the departure of the Marlins from South Florida someday. As a huge Marlins fan myself, I hope the City and County see fit to get this deal done and get the Marlins a new home.

Florida’s projected starters in the pitching rotation are among the players already in camp and going through light through drills in addition to working on conditioning. Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad, and Anibal Sanchez, all prospective starters, have been joined by relievers Logan Kensing, Jose Ceda, Dan Meyer, and Taylor Tankersley.

Andrew Miller, a starter early last season before patella tendinitis in his right knee sidelined him, is expected to arrive in camp early this week. Miller is expected to be the final piece of the starting rotation, assuming his knee can hold up this season. The 23 year old has been receiving treatment on his knee throughout the offseason and has been going through throwing programs in the offseason as well.

The Marlins’ pitching staff is likely to be the backbone and strength of this team in the 2009 season. Last season the starting rotation in particular was a key reason for the Marlins strong performance. Finding an ace of the staff will be important, finding that pitcher you turn to in a tight spot. Ricky Nolasco was a defacto ace last season experiencing the best season of his career. Josh Johnson’s outstanding return from injury and surgery however make him a front runner to be the ace. Figuring out the back end of the pitching staff (relievers and closers) will be critical too as that was one of the Marlins weaknesses last season.

Nolasco’s return ensures that the Marlins keep a key piece of their rotation, and perhaps the best member of the rotation. Nolasco will likely be at the top of the rotation, followed by Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, and Chris Volstad.

Nolasco really found his form in 2008 achieving many career firsts and snapping several team records. Nolasco was a career best 15-8 in 32 starts last season over the course of 212 1/3 innings pitched. He had an ERA of 3.52 and struck out 186 batters while walking only 42. Nolasco set teams records for the most strikeouts in a month with 51 and threw the Marlins first complete game in 301 attempts by Florida starters. Nolasco also threw his first career complete game shutout.

The Marlins were very smart to make sure they did what was necessary to keep Nolasco. Though he is far from being an ace that would have dominated a huge salary elsewhere, he would have made a solid #2 starter for any team in baseball. Keeping Nolasco ensures the Marlins have their most seasoned pitcher returning and provides an anchor to their pitching rotation.

The Marlins have been playing in Dolphin Stadium since their inception in 1993, and have had dreams for at least a decade now of getting a new, baseball only ballpark. In the recent months the deal for a new ballpark seemed to have gained unstoppable momentum, especially after the major remaining lawsuits against the deal were shot down by judges.

Now, the Marlins must again wait for a vote on construction of their new ballpark. The Marlins’ new park is suppose to be built on the site of the now demolished Orange Bowl and is a part of a grand scheme to revitalize the area. Jeffrey Loria is not exactly one of baseballs better owners, running the team with extremely tight purse strings. Hopefully this will be the last delay this project sees, because the longer this process takes, the less faith Loria will have that his team will get its own stadium. Loria is not a man to be trusted and is not above moving the team elsewhere.

Marlins officials and sources have been quoted as saying no such deal is in the works. Speculation abounds as to whether or not the story is true though. Some believe a deal really is/was being worked on but that Florida either can’t afford Martinez or he isn’t really interested. Rumor has it though that the Marlins are Martinez’ first choice to play for in 2009.

The Marlins are in NO need of the services of Martinez in their starting rotation. On top of that, the price tag he would bring would ruin the Marlins ability to go after any other players (young or not) that could actually help the team. Martinez would bring veteran leadership and playoff experience to a starting rotation lacking both qualities. However, Martinez is 37 years old and in the last 3 season he played with the New York Mets, he managed only 48 starts due to injuries and was 17-15 with a 4.74 ERA.

The Marlins are better off with their stable of young, talented starting pitchers. There is no reason for the Marlins to waste money bringing in a guy who will probably get injured midway through his first appearance in a Marlins uniform. I for one don’t believe the Marlins have even entertained the idea of bringing Martinez aboard.

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.

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.

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.