The core of Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, and Jorge Cantu is still in tact; the NL Rookie of the Year, Chris Coghlan, is batting leadoff; Cody Ross is coming off a great year; Cameron Maybin is looking to be the next young star to emerge in the Majors, there’s a lot to be excited about.

There is, however, one fact that Marlins fans need to understand.

Josh Johnson better live up to the hype if the Marlins are going to be a contender.

It seems like the Marlins have put most of their eggs in the basket of “realized potential,” but have started counting those chickens before they hatch.

Johnson’s talent, in my opinion, can legitimately be compared to anyone elses in the league. From there, though, where does the team turn?

The No. 2 man is Ricky Nolasco; could be great – could be terrible, it depends on which Rickly Nolasco shows up.

To put it kindly, Nolasco was terrible at the start of 2009. However, after returning from a stint in the Minors he was great – affirming the potential he showed in 2008. Either way, he IS the No. 2 guy and his success could serve as a barometer for the team’s success.

From Nolasco it gets thinner, and even more inconsistent.

Reports have Anibal Sanchez as the No. 3 guy. He’s been anything but consistent. Over the past few years he’s had a rough time staying healthy and staying affective. He did sport a respectable ERA of 3.87 last season, however his record was 4-8, in 86 innings pitched. I do not expect anything different from Sanchez this year – another season of inconsistency and DL stints. Any extended period of success should solely be looked at as a bonus from him.

From there it’s an open competition. Sean West, Chris Volstad, Andrew Miller, and Rick Vandenhurk all want one of the last 2 spots.

The story on these guys is pretty much the same. All of them have impressed at one point or another, but they’ve also proven that they can’t be counted on.

Virtually all of these guys have the potential to do well as a big league pitcher. Relying on their potential to all be realized at the same time, however, is quite a risk.

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Song of the Day: Spoon – The Mystery Zone

Either way (thanks to the club being called out for their cheap ways) the Marlins have signed Dan Uggla to a one-year $7.8 Million deal, thus avoiding arbitration.

Soon after, it was reported that the team was still shopping him, but now everyone seems to think he’s going to stick around because David Samson said on 790 the Ticket that Uggla would be the team’s Opening Day second baseman.

That’s great. Really, it is.

That does not mean, however, that he won’t be traded during the season; especially if the team isn’t competitive come July.

The good news is the team should be competitive come July.

Along with Uggla, the Marlins signed Jorge Cantu to a deal (1-year $6 million), and also, amongst others, Leo Nunez (1-year $2 Million) who was affective as the team’s closer after Matt Lindstrom went down.

Aside from Jeremy (you can have him) Hermida, and Nick (I wish the MLB would have scolded us before you signed with the Yankees) Johnson, the vast majority of last year’s team is returning; a team that finished with 87 wins and finished 6 games out of first place.

Another key loss is Kiko Calero, but with an ace like Josh Johnson, the reigning Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan, and a core of Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu, and Dan Uggla, it’s more than reasonable to enter the season with expectation of competing.

The biggest question mark heading into Spring Training is the pitching staff.

Obviously, there’s Josh Johnson, but what about Ricky Nolasco?

Apparently, if he pitches well in 2010 the team is prepared to offer him a multi-year contract. Further, for the team to have a shot at October next year they’ll need to rely on whether or not Nolasco and the rest of the staff can maintain consistency throughout the season.

Just like last year, the staff is filled with potential. And, guy’s like Nolasco, Sean West, and Chris Volstad have shown what they are capable of, just not that they are capable of doing it at will.

All in all, you have reason to view the cup as half full if your a Marlins fan.

At least for now.

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Song of the Day: Ambulance Ltd – Stay Where You Are

The deal is back-loaded with Johnson slated to make $3.75 million this year, $7.75 million in 2011 and $13.75 million in the final two years of the deal. This does two things: First, it still leaves room in this season’s payroll to perhaps be able to retain Dan Uggla through arbitration. Second, with Johnson making $13.75 million in 2012, it means trade rumors will probably resurface again leading up to that season; or at least the 2013 season.

No matter how you look at it you’ve got to be excited as a Marlins fan. To be able to see tangible results in such a quick fashion to MLB’s reprimand should leave fans optimistic about the future; not to mention, the team is keeping Josh Johnson around.

Is a culture change occuring in the Florida Marlins organization?

I’m still skeptical, but as for now, I’m proceeding with good expectations.

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Song of the Day:  Blind Melon – Change

That’s essentially what Major League Baseball is saying about the Marlins.

I’m not saying that welfare recipients spend their checks irresponsibly or responsibly, but certainly the Marlins have not lived up to their end of the deal regarding MLB revenue sharing.

In case you don’t know, what happens with MLB revenue sharing is every team puts a set percentage (34 percent) of their local revenue into one fund, and then that fund is separated into 30 equal parts and dispersed evenly amongst the 30 teams.

34 percent of the Yankees local revenue is a lot more (in absolute terms) than 34 percent of the Marlins local revenue, yet they will both receive an equal payout from revenue sharing. Therefore, the Marlins – and other lower market teams – receive a lot more from revenue sharing than they put in.

The idea is to create more parity amongst teams that can spend a lot of money, and teams who can’t. In order for this to work, however, the teams that receive money from revenue sharing have to spend that money on their baseball club.

There are reports that the Marlins receive as much as $35 million a year in revenue sharing (which makes the team’s “need” for public money to build a new stadium even more infuriating), and here’s what their payrolls have been the last four years:

2006: $14,998,500
2007: $30,507,000
2008: $21,811,500
2009: $36,834,000

See a problem?

Marlins president David Samson claims that there has “been no violation of the basic agreement at any time,” however, the team is allowing both the league and the union to monitor their expenses over the next three years.

Anyone who’s been paying attention to the Marlins over the years already knew this was going on, but having the front office be publicly embarrassed like this is a great thing.

Players like Dan Uggla and Josh Johnson are now more likely to be held onto and given raises. This, in turn, will keep fans happy as well as bigger market teams who will know that their money isn’t being pocketed by the owners.

Now, for those who don’t think that a higher payroll matters in terms of success (usually citing the Mets as an example), you’re right. A higher payroll on a poorly run franchise equals no more than poor decisions and wasted money. The Marlins – by staying relatively competitive in spite of their payroll – have proven that they are a well run franchise. And, a well run franchise with a higher payroll just means more resources to continue making good decisions.

That’s why 1 in 3 lottery winners end up broke within 5 years, and those who are self-made don’t.

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Song of the Day: Eagles of Death Metal – Stacks O’ Money

Why?

Is it simply because of the Cuban ties that Miami possesses?

I’d assume that’s a sizable contributing factor, however, after reading a thought put out there by ESPN’s Jorge Arangure Jr., I got to thinking.

Arangure Jr. pointed out that now that the new year has arrived Aroldis Chapman’s bonus will be eligible to be taxed by the U.S. government; whereas if he had signed in 2009 it would not have been.

Joe Kehoskie, an agent “who has represented Cuban players for several years” revealed that “signing bonuses that are received outside the U.S., by a non-U.S. resident, and in a tax year in which the person did not work in the U.S., are not subject to U.S. taxation.”

Meaning that the government couldn’t have taxed anything Chapman made in 2009 because he has yet to work in the United States. This year, unless he signs with Toronto (which wouldn’t be a move that brings about leaner tax laws), the U.S. is where Chapman is going to be working, and making millions. And, millions in income equals a lot of taxes.

Again, I got to thinking.

Could Florida’s 0 percent state income tax be a contributing factor in his decision?

On top of what the federal government taxes him, if he were to sign in one of the other states or Canadian provinces in which the other interested teams reside (New York, Taxachusetts Massachusetts, California, or Ontario), Chapman would be taxed anywhere from 5.3 percent to 11.16 percent more than he would be if he came to Florida.

All of the sudden, the Marlins $13 million offer, not Boston’s $15.5 million offer, seems like it could be the smarter financial decision to make.

Like I said, Chapman is going to the Reds…

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Song of the Day: The Beatles – Taxman

Aroldis is chapping Josh Johnson’s a**

After 21-year-old Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman – possibly the best lefty prospect out there – worked out for at least a third of the teams in the bigs, the Marlins apparently offered him a 5-year deal worth around $13 million.

South Florida would seemingly be a good fit culturally, he’s young, he’s a lefty, what’s not to like?

Everything.

Remember that Josh Johnson guy?

Well, Johnson is irked because the front office told him that they don’t offer five-year deals to pitchers, and in fact they’ve been hesitant to give Johnson a 4-year deal.

Of course Johnson has denied that he is upset, but how could he not be?

He’s solidified himself as the ace of the Marlins staff but apparently isn’t worth as much as a 21-year old with a good scouting report and one major league workout under his belt.

Also, don’t forget about the Boston Red Sox.

I don’t know if David Samson and Larry Beinfest missed the memo, but the Red Sox offered Chapman a deal worth $15.5 million that’s expected to be for 3-4 years.

To make it public that you’re offering a PROSPECT less money over FIVE YEARS than the Red Sox are for three or four years makes about as much sense as the Fahrenheit thermometer does to the rest of the world.

What do you need clarification on? That money matters more than anything else and that Josh Johnson doesn’t like to be lied to?

A Bunch of Minor Leaguer’s You’ve Never Heard of.

Three to be exact. That’s what Houston sent our way in exchange for Matt Lindstrom.

There’s not much to be known about the first two players – pitcher Roberto Bono and shortstop Luis Bryan – named in the trade.

Bono has improved from year to year, but he’s not over powering and he hasn’t made it out of A-ball. We’ll see.

The same can be said for Bryan. He hit very well in Rookie ball, which certainly isn’t a bad thing, but it doesn’t mean much either.

The player people seem the most excited about is the player to be named later.

The Marlins really had their heart set on Jorge Jimenez.

Jimenez was the Astros Rule 5 selection, which was the final piece of the Lindstrom deal.

For those of you unaware of how the Rule 5 draft works, it’s confusing but here’s a simplified explanation:

Basically if a player isn’t on a team’s 40-man roster, he’s eligible to be picked up by another team in the Rule 5 draft. The player, however, must remain on the new team’s 25-man MLB roster all year, or else he has to be offered back to his old team at $25,000.

The Astros had the 8th pick in the draft, and if they could not have selected Jimenez – from the Red Sox – for the Marlins, the plan was for the Marlins to accept cash considerations instead.

Jimenez is a solid hitting, corner infielder with a strong arm. He hit .289 last year in AA-ball with 13 homers and 87 RBI. He doesn’t have much power but the Marlins like his hitting approach. He’ll join the likes of Wes Helms, Gaby Sanchez, and Logan Morrison as potential filler’s of corner infield spots in 2010 for the Marlins.

Time to Return the Nick Johnson Rental

Didn’t see that one coming.

Nothing against Aaron Thompson, but I really hope he ends up not amounting to much in Washington.

Gookie Dawson Suspended 50-Games for Using Drugs

Who?

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Song of the Day: Eels – Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

After Jose Valverde declined arbitration and LaTroy Hawkins signed with the Brewers it’s clear why Houston would want Lindstrom.

No word yet on what the Marlins are receiving in this deal – reaction to the deal will come once more details have been released.

Weeks ago it was reported that the Red Sox we’re interested in acquiring Dan Uggla but would want him to move to left field – a proposition that Uggla was not fond of. With the recent news of Pedroia moving to the other side of the infield one could reasonably speculate that, if in fact a trade was to be made, the move was made in order to accommodate Uggla’s wishes to stay at his native position.

Another theory – the free agent market is deeper amongst second baseman than it is shortstops. The Red Sox would be able to field a more effective lineup by signing a free agent at second – like Orlando Hudson or Brandon Phillips – than they would by keeping Pedroia there and going with a guy like Jed Lowrie or Nick Green at shortstop.

My opinion – all of the above. Just as any club tries to do (or should try to do), the Red Sox want to give themselves options. I wouldn’t be surprised if Boston ends up with Uggla or with one of these other guys.

Don’t think, however, that if Uggla doesn’t go to Beantown it means he won’t end up somewhere else. And, I believe the same can be said for Josh Johnson and even Hanley Ramirez.

I know – I know,  the club said they aren’t going anywhere – and I don’t think they will – but if another team offers what the Marlins front office considers to be the “right” package I think ANYONE could be on the move. Now, the “right” package might be the same type of “J.P. Ricciardi ‘we want to be blown away’ offer” that the Blue Jays we’re looking for in exchange for Roy Halladay, but nonetheless, I believe that however unlikely, it does exist.

At this point nothing should surprise you – except for the apparent unselfishness nature of a former AL MVP.

Song of the Day: French Kicks – Abandon

UPDATE: The Red Sox signed Marco Scutaro to a 2-year deal with a mutual third year option. Unless Uggla accepts a position change, this all but kills a deal that would send him to Boston. Sorry Dan.

Not a surprise, rumors of Hermida’s departure have been around longer than drugs have been around South Beach. When I heard about it all I could think was “FINALLY.”

Hermida’s off to Boston to get reacquainted with former Marlins Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell – while Boston is sending their 44th and 45th ranked prospects, Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez, down to South Florida.

Jones and Alvarez are both southpaw pitchers, but only Jones is expected to possibly make an impact at the Major League level next season. He made 11 appearances out of the bullpen for Boston in 2009 where he recorded 12 1/3 innings, with 16 hits allowed, 13 earned runs, 9 strike-outs, and 7 walks. Not that great.

In fairness, not only was he pitching the the AL, he was also in the toughest division in baseball.

Jones, a Palm Beach Gardens native, started out April looking great. In his first 3 appearances – in games against Baltimore, the Yankees, and Cleveland – Jones allowed no runs, 1 hit, and struck out three in 4 innings of bullpen work. After that, however, the wheels came off.

He allowed at least one run in all of his next 7 appearances, which led to his eventual 9.24 ERA. Jones will be 26 years old by the time Spring Training rolls around and will fight for a spot in the Marlins bullpen.

Jose Alvarez is only 20 years old, but has yet to make it out of Single-A ball in his up-and-down Minor League career. He throws a fastball, curve, and a change-up, and apparently he’s got pretty decent stuff although he leaves the ball up too much.

Time will tell with Alvarez, and time will tell with this trade. No doubt money played a part in this deal (Hermida made $2.25 million last year, and is eligible for arbitration in 2010), but Boston seems to think they got a bargain on this trade and perhaps by their standards they’re right. Here’s the reality – when you play for the Red Sox you can make millions of dollars and be a player that comes off the bench; when you’re a Marlin, you can’t do that.

The expectations for Hermida are going to be a lot lower in Boston. He doesn’t have the “we drafted him in the first round” tag in Boston, he doesn’t make a load of money by Boston standards (not that that would matter – case and point J.D. Drew), and he doesn’t exactly have the career numbers that bring about expectations. Because of the lower expectations I think this deal will be classified as a success for Boston.

Hermida is only 25, and will provide a nice bat off the bench with the potential for more. If, however, he only serves as a productive bench player for the next two years, that will be just fine with Boston and their fans. The same can not be – nor should it be – said about the Marlins.

In other news, if the Marlins aren’t keep Hermida around, they most certainly aren’t keeping Ross Gload around at $2.6 million. The Marlins declined Ross Gload’s $2.6 million option which has led him to file for free agency. Considering he isn’t worth $2.6 million, it’s just fine with me. Gload joins Brendan Donnelly on the free agent list, and could be soon followed by Nick Johnson and Kiko Calero.

Stay tuned. Dan Uggla is still around so I’m sure they’ll be more off season trade news soon.

Song of the Day: King Khan and The Shrines – Outta Harm’s Way

Price chose Cincinnati, and granted, their staff does have potential, but in my opinion, they don’t have anyone that comes close to matching Josh Johnson’s caliber.

He claims that he chose the Reds purely because it was a better fit for him and his family, which could easily be true, but perhaps the reason he chose Cincinnati is because of the way that Fredi Gonzalez and Mark Wiley were treated this off-season.

I think everyone is pretty much on the same page about the unjust nature of the potential firing or Fredi Gonzalez, but Mark Wiley deserved another year to work with his staff.

He’s served as the team’s pitching coach for the last 2 years, and also held the same position in 2005 – a year in which his 3 top starters all sported ERA’s below 3.45.

Currently, no one in the starting rotation is older than 26; they’re not all going to be great at this point.

Ricky Nolasco made an outstanding recovery from his early season woes, and Josh Johnson is Josh Johnson. Rick VandenHurk filled his role aptly when called upon, and despite how things ended up 2009, we’ve seen flashes of what Andrew Miller, Sean West, and Chris Volstad can do.

He only had two years to work with a group of talented kids and make them into big league pitchers. He deserved at least one more.

Now it’s onto former Nationals pitching coach Randy St. Claire.

At this point I’m indifferent about St. Claire, but when I look at his resume I’m not exactly blown away, and I certainly don’t think it’s worthy of causing the organization to give up on Wiley. That’s what they did, however, and hopefully it proves to be the right move. Or at least hopefully this time around they’ll allow enough time to pass before trying to make what can be considered an accurate assessment.

Song of the Day: The Moondoggies-Changing