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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

First off, what went right for the Marlins this season? Well, the Marlins made the following positive steps forward in 2008:

1. The most visible improvement was the Marlins record, 84-77, a 13 win improvement over last season. This season was the Marlins 1st winning season since 2005 and their record of 84-77 is the 3rd best finish in team history. The only better records belonged to the 1997 World Series team and 2003 World Series team.

2. Perhaps the biggest positive this season was the fact that the Marlins were never below .500 after the 3rd game of the season when they were 1-2. They didn’t even fall to .500 again until August.

3. The Marlins were tough in the clutch, never making it too easy for their opponents. They finished 24-19 in 1 run games and 9-5 in extra innings games. The Fish also had 42 comeback victories and 11 walk off wins.

4. Florida pitching was vastly improved this year. The team finished 30th (dead last) in ERA last season, but this season finished 14th in MLB.

For all the positives though, the Marlins still had weak spots that will need to be addressed to transform this team into a playoff team next year. Here are 4 things that will need to be improved:

1. The team’s defense was atrocious at times this season. Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu, and Mike Jacobs were among the worst in MLB at fielding their position. The team as a whole was 2nd to last in fielding percentage.

2. This team couldn’t get over hump. On July 20th the Fish were within 1/2 game of the NL East lead, but after falling out of the race for Manny Ramirez, the Marlins bats went cold in August and the Fish played themselves out of the playoff race with a terrible month of August.

3. The Marlins blew too many late leads. Even though Kevin Gregg was removed as closer in favor of Matt Lindstrom, the damage had been done. Gregg tied for the lead in the majors with 9 blown saves on the season, to go with 8 losses he picked up as well. Lindstrom took over at the end of the season and was an improvement, time will tell though if he can be durable throughout an entire season as closer.

4. Marlins batters created as much wind in South Florida as the hurricane season did. The Fish were 1st in MLB as a team with 1,371 Ks, 100 Ks higher than the next closest team. 6 Marlins’ batters finished with more than 100Ks each and a 7th was on his way were it not for 2 months out of the game.

Perhaps an extra weakness the team has is ownership. Jeffrey Loria should be ashamed of his cheapness, his payroll of just over $20 million was far and away the lowest in baseball. Alex Rodriguez makes in one season what the whole Marlins team makes in a year. Loria ,however, now has his coveted new stadium and promised to spend more money when a stadium was secured for the Marlins. Well mission accomplished, now pony up the dough Loria!

No team in baseball is ever perfect and every team has weaknesses that can be exploited. The true measure of a good team however is their ability to minimize their weakness and take advantage of their strengths. In the end many good things happened to the Marlins this season, good record, strong performance, and hey, we’ve got a new stadium coming our way in 2011. The future is bright for this team, stick around to see what happens!

This season despite confident comments from the Mets, it appeared as though they were en route to another collapse that would result in missing the playoffs again. Again this year the Mets welcomed the Marlins to Shea Stadium for 3 games to finish the season, their playoff hopes on the line. The Marlins beat the Mets Friday night, but Santana and the Mets bested the Marlins Saturday setting up a crucial final game on Sunday. If a shot at the playoffs weren’t enough motivation for the Mets, they were closing down Shea Stadium after 44 years.

None of that was enough however as the Marlins defeated the Mets 4-2 on Sunday, which combined with a 3-1 Milwaukee victory over Chicago left the Mets on the outside again, victims of their own inability to finish what they started. Scott Olsen saved his best for the end of the season, pitching 6 innings and allowing only 3H and 2ER while striking out 4. The Marlins had squandered a 2-0 lead, until pinch hitter Wes Helms hit a solo home run in the 8th and Dan Uggla hit another on the next pitch to put the Marlins ahead for good 4-2.

The Mets got a quality start from Oliver Perez who was pitching on short rest going 5 1/3 innings, but eventually handing the game over to the Mets awful bullpen and the game was sealed up from there by the Fish. The Mets again proved pitiful when the season matter most. They folded it in earlier this season, many believe in an attempt to get former manager Willie Randolph fired, but turned it around after the All Star break. In September though, when playoff spots are won and lost, the Mets fell apart again. All they had to do was sweep the Marlins, AT HOME, and they would have been in the playoffs. Instead the Mets sputtered their way through the month and in the end got what they deserved, time off in October to ponder all they lost and question their ability as a team.

The Marlins victory will be their last at Shea Stadium. Shea, the Mets home since 1964, will be torn down as next season the Mets will be moving into their brand new $850 million home at Citi Field. After 44 years as the home of the Mets, Shea Stadium was closed out on back to back years by the Marlins beating the Mets to keep them out of the playoffs. Shea was the 5th oldest stadium in MLB behind Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, and Fenway Park.

As for the Marlins, they take a positive note into their offseason. The Marlins finish the season 84-77 and have a very bright future. We saw in the past 2 weeks that the future of the Marlins lies quite securely in the hands of Cameron Maybin, Hanley Ramirez, Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, and others. It is far too early, the 2008 season only over for 2 hours, to make predictions for 2009, but don’t be fooled…the Marlins are in good hands and with a few additions can and should be consider contenders in the NL East for 2009.