Jimenez, 25, spent the last four seasons in the Red Sox organization. He hit .289 with 13 homers, 87 RBI, and 63 runs over 133 games for Double-A Portland. The Astros plucked him in the first round of the December 2009 Rule V draft, and they then sent him to Florida as the player to be named later in the Matt Lindstrom deal.

Jimenez’s winter also included a stint in the Puerto Rico Winter League, where he batted .326-2-15 over 32 games. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Year. At both Double-A and in Puerto Rico, Jimenez showed good plate patience, walking a combined 63 times versus 83 strikeouts (593 at-bats).

“I haven’t seen a lot of him, but from what I’ve seen I like him around third base,” Gonzalez informs the Miami Herald. “I like his arm. He’s giving you quality at-bats when you put him in there. He runs about average, or maybe a little above average. But I like the kid.”

“He’s a good young player, seems like he finds the barrel every at-bat and he moves better at third base than I thought he did,” adds hitting coach Jim Presley. “He’s in the mix. This kid can go off and change some minds. He can hit. You can tell he can hit. I hadn’t seen him play defense these last two or three ball games and he’s better than I thought he was.”

The Marlins aren’t afraid to take chances. In December of 2005, they plucked Dan Uggla in the Rule V draft and inserted him at second base the next season. In 2007, they opened the season with Alejandro De Aza as their starting center fielder.  Neither Uggla nor De Aza had played above Double-A. Miguel Cabrera, Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, and numerous other Marlins never stopped at Triple-A, either.  Dontrelle Willis made the leap from High-A. And who can forget the chance that the team took at third base in 2009, when they opened the season with Emilio Bonifacio at the hot corner and at the top of the lineup?

In other words, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Marlins open the year with Jimenez at third base, Jorge Cantu at first base, Gaby Sanchez stuck in the dugout, and Morrison in the minors.

NL-only owners should get to know this name and should be tracking Jimenez’s progress this spring. He could turn into an excellent late-round steal.

Twins
Many people believe closers are overpaid and overrated parts of baseball teams, but it would be a nightmare for the Twins to lose Nathan for an extended period. They simply don’t have a clear-cut replacement.

Jon Rauch has 26 career saves and looks intimidating at 6-11 and 300 pounds, but his 2009 K/9 rate of 6.3 isn’t terribly inspiring. He has had some moments throughout his career when he has looked like closer material, but the big right-hander is too inconsistent.

Matt Guerrier was excellent in 2007 and 2009 and horrible in 2008. His strikeout rate is also low (6.0 career), and he prefers to force batters to pound the ball into the ground. I like Guerrier as a setup man, but I’d be very scared if he was the closer. He is a ground ball pitcher who has served up 22 homers over the last two years. No one-run lead would be safe.

Jose Mijares doesn’t lack the goods. The young southpaw is nasty when he is on his game. He can be a bit wild and has caused past concerns due to his lack of conditioning. Even if Ron Gardenhire was ready to trust Mijares with the ninth inning, the Twins don’t have another lefty ready to fill a setup role. Would Brian Duensing step up to the challenge?

Pat Neshek is back on the mound this spring. He has been out since May of 2008 due to Tommy John surgery. Neshek was excellent in 2006 and 2007, but I shouldn’t need to explain why he’s not a good candidate at this point.

Jesse Crain is… wait, why am I even talking about this bum?

Bottom line: Let’s all just pray that Nathan receives good news over the next couple days. If not, I’d assume that Rauch would get the first call.

Cubs
Fantasy owners all know that Carlos Marmol is the clear-cut closer, and the 27-year-old right-hander has the stuff to hold that role for the next decade. The problem is that the wayward Marmol could also walk himself out of the job. Guzman was arguably the Cubs’ top reliever in 2009, and he appeared to be next in line if Marmol faltered. Who’s up now?

John Grabow has been a quality setup man for the past few seasons, mainly with the Pirates. The veteran southpaw will be a top setup man again in 2010, but could he close? Maybe. That would require Lou Piniella trusting Sean Marshall or Tom Gorzelanny to step into Grabow’s LOOGY role. I’d bet on a different direction if Marmol goes down.

Esmailin Caridad appears to  be the man who will step into Guzman’s setup role. The Cubs signed him in 2008, and he cruised through the minors as a starter before making 14 relief appearances in the majors last year. He is mainly a fastball-curve hurler, and his limited results from 2009 show decent upside. Closer material? It doesn’t look like it, yet.

Jeff Samardzija came into camp hoping for a rotation spot, but the Cubs may need to send him back to the bullpen. Not unlike Brandon Morrow’s time in Seattle, Samardzija has been flip-flopping on his role over the last couple years. It may be time to stick him in the ‘pen, focus on cutting down the walks, and let him turn into a quality reliever.

My darkhorse candidate is Andrew Cashner, the team’s 2008 first-round pick. He has been working as a starter in the minors, but he has an excellent fastball-slider combination that could breed bullpen success.

Bottom line: The Cubs could also look outside the organization, and rumors are already connecting them to Jason Frasor. Fantasy owners can count on Marmol for now, and we’ll be keeping our eyes on Caridad, Samardzija and Cashner as spring training rolls along. Right now, I wouldn’t draft any of the setup men, outside of a possible Grabow pick late in NL-only formats.

1) Sign WR Nate Burleson: 5 years, $25 million ($11 million guaranteed)

Burleson is seven seasons into his career, but he has never reached 500 yards in back-to-back campaigns. He flashed considerable potential in 2004 and had two decent seasons with the Seahawks (2007, 2009). When healthy, Burleson is a quality No. 2 wideout who can complement Calvin Johnson and push Bryant Johnson to the No. 3 role, which is where he should be.

Isn’t that a little too much? Yeah, probably. But the Lions filled a major hole and added a playmaker for Matt Stafford. The offense still has issues at running back and along the line, but they are starting to build up the pieces around their franchise quarterback. I don’t like the money, but I like the move. Fantasy value? Burleson could be a top-50 receiver heading into 2010.

2) Sign DE Kyle Vanden Bosch: 4 years, $26 million ($10 million comes in 2010)

Vanden Bosch and head coach Jim Schwartz worked together in Tennessee from 2005-08. The end’s best seasons came in 2005-07, when he piled up 30 sacks. Vanden Bosch battled injuries in 2008, and his numbers dropped off noticeably in 2009. Does the 31-year-old end have much left? Obviously the Lions think so.

At first blush, $10 million in 2010 seems excessive. At a second look, $10 million in 2010 still seems like way too much. However, there is more to the story than KVB’s on-field sack and tackle numbers. The veteran end is a tough guy, a hard worker, and a professional. Schwartz can preach his values from the sidelines, but KVB can show the team’s young players how to get it done on the field and in the locker room. The Lions need to change their losing culture, and Vanden Bosch can help. KVB won’t have a ton of value in IDP leagues next season, but he might be a late-round pick who could put together one more big year.

3) Trade for DL Corey Williams: Sent 5th-rd pick to Browns, receive 7th-rd pick

Williams cost the Lions very little in this deal, but this is a salary dump by the Browns. The 29-year-old lineman is due a $1.7 million roster bonus soon and a base salary of $4.2 million in 2010. Williams never quite fit in with the Browns and their 3-4 scheme, and he can move back to DT in the Lions 4-3 front.  As a 4-3 DT for the Packers in 2006 and 2007, Williams was a rising star who could push the pocket and get after the quarterback.

Of the three early moves, I like this one the best. Williams gets a fresh start, and the Lions undoubtedly needed help in the middle of their line. It’s tough to win in the NFL if your lines stink, and Williams and Vanden Bosch will make the Lions run defense and pass rush much better in 2010. Throw in Sammie Lee Hill, Cliff Avril, and possibly Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy and we’re looking at a legit unit. Williams will receive a boost in IDP value, as he should be freed up to pursue the quarterback more in 2010.

The best general managers and front offices in the NFL often don’t operate with the  “What do we need right now?” mentality.

What do I mean? Well, mock drafts that include comments will typically say things like, “The Titans want to upgrade their pass rush, so they’ll select this speedy end” or “The Ravens need help in the secondary and Cornerback X could start right away.”

Those evaluations may be true from where we’re sitting (and I include myself in that), but some front offices approach the draft with a long-term vision in addition to (or instead of) the immediate need mentality. The teams that are thinking beyond 2010 aren’t necessarily going to grab a OT or DE or CB in round one just because it seems to be a must-have for the coming season. They might grab an OLB knowing that they have an opening come 2011.

I like to reference the Eagles and Andy Reid for examples. In 2001, the Eagles went 11-5 but lost the NFC championship game to the Rams. I don’t recall the exact “top needs” that the Eagles had after that season, but I do know that they boasted the NFL’s second-best pass defense, led by Troy Vincent (5 Pro Bowls), Bobby Taylor (one Pro Bowl), and Brian Dawkins (3 Pro Bowls, at the time). They also featured a quality RB combination of Duce Staley (26 years old) and Correll Buckhalter (23).

In the 2002 Draft, the Eagles drafted CB Lito Sheppard (Rd . 1), S Michael Lewis (Rd. 2), CB Sheldon Brown (Rd. 2), and RB Brian Westbrook (Rd. 3). Some of that may have been in response to the Rams’ wide-open, gunning offense, but I’m betting that many fans were expecting an upgrade to the pass rush, the linebacker group, or possibly the wide receiver corps.

As it turns out, Reid and the Eagles were thinking ahead. Vincent, Taylor and Staley were all gone after the 2003 season. By that point, Sheppard, Brown and Westbrook were all ready for bigger roles.

It’s that same mentality that led the Eagles to draft Kevin Kolb in 2007. They haven’t had much cause to use the quarterback to this point, but they gave themselves ample time to groom a replacement for Donovan McNabb.

Take a look at the Steelers first-round picks over recent years. One thing you’ll quickly notice is that the Steelers are amazing at nailing their top selections. You may also notice that many of those top picks didn’t start right away, including Troy Polamalu (o starts), Rashard Mendenhall (1 start), Santonio Holmes (4 starts), and LaMarr Woodley (0 starts). Ben Roethlisberger was forced into action as a rookie because of injuries to Charlie Batch and Tommy Maddox.

The Steelers, like a lot of the other top front offices, do an excellent job of mixing in current needs with their long-term vision. The Patriots, Eagles, Giants, Colts and Ravens are other teams that come to my mind as stable, smart units that can strike this balance.

My point is: try to be smart and skeptical when looking over mock drafts. Take a step back and try to think if a team will absolutely need to address a short-term problem or if they can afford to look down the road to when they will need to replace a current starter.

The early word on Wednesday was that the Bears would work out a trade for Marshall in the coming days, but a move to Baltimore makes much more sense to me. Here are some reasons:

-The Ravens hold the No. 25 pick in the first round – a late selection.

-How much longer will Ray Lewis play? He turns 35 this May.

-How much longer will Derrick Mason play? He is 36 and threatened to retire last summer.

-How much longer will Ed Reed play? He is only 31 but neck issues have caused him to contemplate early retirement.

-Center Matt Birk turns 34 this summer. Nose tackle Kelly Gregg is 33. Those are the lynchpins of the two lines.

-Outside of Birk, the offensive line is fairly young, but they will start to cost more money in the near future. Jared Gaither, Adam Terry, Chris Chester, and Marshal Yanda are all RFAs.

-The backfield is stacked with Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le’Ron McClain, and you opted to keep McGahee despite his fat salary. How much longer will you enjoy that range and depth of talent?

One never knows how things will work out in the NFL, but the Ravens seem to have a window of opportunity to do something special in 2010. Yes, they have some holes beyond wide receiver, but signing Marshall would fill a huge, huge need. Just think about their stacked line and loaded backfield plus an improving Joe Flacco throwing to Marshall, Mason and Todd Heap. That’s a brilliant offense, at least on paper. Add in some improvements at CB, and the Ravens would look like a major Super Bowl contender.

This situation reminds me a bit of last summer, when the Vikings were flirting with Brett Favre. Thanks to bold moves (Jared Allen, Antoine Winfield, Bernard Berrian, Pat Williams, etc.) and some brilliant draft picks (Adrian Peterson, Kevin Williams, Percy Harvin, etc.), the Vikings appeared to have all the pieces in place – except quarterback. They made the risky move to add Favre knowing that their window of opportunity was now. Who knew how much longer Winfield and Fat Pat would hold up? Who knew how much longer Peterson and Allen and K. Williams would be at the top of their games? The time for the Vikings to make a bold move was 2009.

It’s time for the Ravens to do something similar, something risky. Who knows how much more time they have with Lewis, Reed, Gregg, Birk, Mason, Heap, a solid OL, and a deep backfield? Marshall could be the missing piece to a Super Bowl run, and that is easily worth the No. 25 overall pick and a fat contract.

1) Rams Discussing McNabb Deal

Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch brought up this possibility 12 paragraphs into a story about the Rams draft plans – including their evaluation process of Sam Bradford as the potential No. 1 overall pick. The big line from Burwell: “According to more than one well-informed source, the Rams have had intense internal conversations with the Philadelphia Eagles about a trade for Pro Bowler Donovan McNabb.”

If the Rams are truly talking “with the Eagles” about McNabb, you don’t bury that news way down in an article about the draft. The team may have had internal discussions about making an offer, but as Adam Schefter verifies, the Eagles haven’t been in on those talks.

2) Antonio Cromartie to the Lions

Tom Kowalski of MLive.com confirmed that the Lions and Chargers did in fact talk about Cromartie, but the two sides didn’t come to an agreement on a deal. Kowalski, one of the best beat men in the biz, hit the nail on the head in noting that Cromartie doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Lions considering that they prefer physical corners willing to make tough tackles. Cromartie would be an upgrade in overall talent, but he is not a great fit for their scheme. The price tag probably isn’t low enough for this to make enough sense for the rebuilding Lions.

3) Bears Offering Up Greg Olsen

Greg A. Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel provided the news that the Bears are dangling Olsen in trade talks, and the Combine was buzzing with the rumor. It’s no mystery that the athletic Olsen doesn’t fit with Mike Martz’s offensive system, which rarely uses tight ends as receivers.

This rumor could have serious legs because the Bears do not have a first or second-round pick this April, and they would surely ask for a second-rounder in return for Olsen. I’m not saying they’ll get that much… but they will likely ask for that much. The Chiefs have multiple second-round picks and might consider making an offer. The Ravens and Bengals might be interested. The Browns could offer up one of their two third-round selections.

4) Should the Redskins pursue Miles Austin?

This isn’t a rumor; it’s an opinion by Joe Fortenbaugh of the National Football Post. The key part to this tale is buried roughly halfway down the article. The Redskins would need to sacrifice their first and second-round picks to sign Austin. Yes, that would be picks No. 4 and No. 37. That would be crazy.

Mr. Snyder may not like it, but the Redskins are in a rebuilding mode. Mike Shanahan acknowledged that the Redskins are behind the pack in the very talented NFC East. Austin alone does not put the Redskins in a position to compete with the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants. Those two top-40 picks plus a solid 2011 draft plus two free agent classes might push the Redskins back into playoff contention by 2011. They need to build wisely and slowly – not give away draft picks like candy as they did in the past.

5) Plenty of Karlos Dansby Suitors

The Palm Beach Post points to the Dolphins to the Giants, Redskins, Bears, Dolphins and possibly “another dozen teams” who will be interested in Dansby. I’ll drink to that. Many people focus on Julius Peppers as the biggest free agent prize, but Dansby will get a ton of love, too. My gut says he will end up in New York with the Giants, but that’s a total guess on my part.

Michael Fabiano of NFL.com has already come out and said that he believes Greene should be a top-5 back heading into 2010.

You can’t get much bolder than that. Heck, let’s just cross the “much” out of that line. The NFL currently features Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice, Michael Turner, Frank Gore… and you are putting Greene in your top-5? That’s as bold as anyone can get.

I don’t know Mr. Fabiano, but I can guess his selling points for his stance:

(1) Jones’s 2008 and 2009 numbers:

2008: 290 carries, 1,312 yards, 13 TD (plus 2 receiving TD)
2009: 331 carries, 1,402 yards, 14 TD

This past season, Jones was the No. 4 scoring RB in my non-PPR league. He was No. 6 and No. 7 in my PPR leagues. Jones was just as impressive in 2008.

(2) The offensive line. In 2010, the Jets will welcome back a starting offensive line made up of left guard Alan Faneca, center Nick Mangold, left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, right tackle Damien Woody, and right guard Brandon Moore. That quintet missed zero starts in 2008 and zero starts in 2009.

(3) Greene’s rookie work. Shonn saw only 108 carries during the regular season, but he erupted for 304 yards and two touchdowns on 54 attempts in the postseason.

All of those points are valid and reasons why Greene should shoot up 2010 fantasy football lists, but what about some of the lingering questions, such as:

(1) Greene’s reception totals: 0 in the regular season, 1 in the playoffs. The extra points in the receiving game add up, even in non-PPR leagues. You need to be darn sure a guy is good for 1,300 yards and 12 TD if you put him in your top-5.

(2) Tony Richardson. The fullback is a free agent, and it doesn’t sound like he will return. You may know Richardson as a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro who blocked for Jones (2008-09), Peterson (2007), Chester Taylor (2006), Larry Johnson (2005), and Priest Holmes (2001-2004). Over those nine seasons, the lead RBs averaged 1,389 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns – and those numbers include a season where Holmes played just eight games.

(3) Lack of reps. Yes, Greene looked great in the playoffs, when he was the fresh legs bowling through defenses. But at this point in his young career are we really ready to say that he is as good and as stable as Jones. It took Thomas a while to get his NFL career on track, but over the last five years, the well-conditioned vet was pretty much a lock for around 300 carries and 1,200 rushing yards. It’s not easy to find that production. Yes, Greene stood up under 307 carries during his final year at Iowa, but are you sure he can handle that load in the NFL?

The bottom line: I’m not going to blame anyone for being excited here. Greene brings a lot of positives to the table, and I’m sure many people will view him as a top-10 fantasy running back for 2010. I may very well be among them. I already have guys like Cedric Benson and Rashard Mendenhall near the bottom of my top-10, and they carry just as many question marks and arguably not as much upside.

For now, though, I’d like to see how free agency and the draft play out before I go too bold on Greene. He will be among my top-15 RB for sure, but I’m not quite ready to crown him as the next Michael Turner.

But in the not-too-distant past, these two franchises faced similar decisions. Let’s turn the clock back two years…

Chargers: The 2007 season ended a few months earlier. LT rushed 315 times for 1,474 yards and 15 touchdowns. He is about to turn 29 and has 2,365 carries on his legs, and the Bolts just lost Michael Turner in free agency. Sproles is a return wizard and possibly ready for a bigger role on offense, but he doesn’t have the size to be a true No. 1 workhorse. The Chargers clearly need to add another back in the draft.

Jets: Fast forward one year and move across the country. Thomas Jones is coming off a monster season for the Jets (290 carries, 1,312 yards, 13 touchdowns). His top backup, Leon Washington, is best known for his return work, but he also adds some lightning to the offense. Jones is 30 years old and has 1,949 career carries. It’s time for the Jets to start thinking about the future, and it’s time for a draft pick.

Chargers: It’s the 2008 draft, and the team does not have a second-round pick because they sent it to the Dolphins for Chris Chambers. They also don’t have a third-round pick because of a 2007 draft-day trade to net Eric Weddle.  Five running backs come off the board in round one, all before the Bolts use the No. 27 selection on Antoine Cason. In round 2, Matt Forte and Ray Rice are chosen.

It’s time for the Chargers to act quickly at Day Two. So, they call the Patriots and offer the No. 160 pick and a 2009 second-round pick for the No. 69 selection. The Bolts take Jacob Hester.

Jets: It’s the 2009 draft. The Jets have a huge move lined up – and it’s to trade their first-round pick and two second-round selections to the Browns for the No. 5 overall choice. They grad Mark Sanchez and cover the biggest priority on their wish list. However, running back is still a problem.

It’s time for the Jets to act quickly on day Two. So, they call the Lions and offer their third, fourth and seventh-round picks for the No. 65 selection. The Jets take Shonn Greene.

It’s those two draft-day moves which put the two franchises on completely different paths.

The Chargers misfired on Hester, who is not a running back, and they gave up a future second-round pick in the process. They could have used that 2009 second-round choice to grab LeSean McCoy or Greene.

The Jets seem to have hit on Greene. At the least, they nabbed a young set of legs that make Jones expendable, and it cost them three picks within the same draft. They didn’t create a huge hole in a future draft.

The moral of the story is that draft evaluations and draft-day trades are tricky business. I’m sure my readers already know that, but it’s something to remember while you watch the Chargers fret about their RB situation and see the Jets comfortably let Jones walk away.

The 3-4 defense has been catching on across the NFL (thanks in large part to Parcells and Belichick), but there is a problem with more and more teams adopting the lineup – a lack of true 3-4 nose tackles. The 3-4 defense won’t work if you don’t have a big, fat, selfless NT willing to eat up a couple blockers. Those dudes are hard to find, which is why…

The Patriots placed the franchise tag on Vince Wilfork (2/22)

The 49ers placed the franchise tag on Aubrayo Franklin (2/23)

The Packers are expected to place the franchise tag on Ryan Pickett.

The Steelers are expected to place the franchise tag on Casey Hampton.

All four of those nose tackles would have been highly coveted if they had hit the open market, and the likely landing spots would have been the four teams I mentioned above (Dolphins, Broncos, Chiefs, Bills) plus any other team interested in shoring up their run defense or in simply spending a load of money (Redskins).

Now? The UFA market is dry for nose tackles, unless the Pats, Steelers, 49ers or Packers plans to entertain trade offers for their linemen. In my eyes, the spotlight shifts directly to Terrence Cody.

The 6-4, 370-pound defensive tackle from Alabama will get plenty of attention at the NFL Combine. He is a pure NT, but teams will have questions about his ability to control his weight. And then it will become a game about figuring out when an NFL team will pull the trigger on a guy who is only suited to play two downs.

Late first round? Early second? Mid or late second? Right now, my guess would be on the higher end, despite all the concerns and weight that Cody carries. I can quickly name at least five teams who would probably like to add Cody to their NT mix, and it only takes one nervous front office to pull the trigger on a late first-round selection.

The knee-jerk reaction will be to move McCoy well up the fantasy rankings and consider him a top-20 running back for next season. I’m not ready to follow suit.

Yes, McCoy scoots up my rankings, but I have more questions than answers at this point. We all know how brilliant Westbrook was, but do you recall that it took Andy Reid five seasons to finally give him 200 carries? Can we safely assume that McCoy will get 200 carries in 2010? I fully expect the Eagles to retain fullback (and RFA) Leonard Weaver, who carried the ball 50 times over the second half of the 2009 season. Andy Reid may also add “big back” near the top of his free agency/draft wish list.

Can you name the Eagles starting center and right guard? I have faith in Reid and OL coach Juan Castillo, but the team could be without center Jamaal Jackson (ACL) to open 2010 and has a big question mark at right guard.

At this point, I have no reason to believe Reid won’t tilt his playbook even more towards the pass. He already loves to air it out, and the Eagles talent – Donovan McNabb, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, etc. – skews towards chucking the ball around the field.

It’s tough to pinpoint McCoy’s value at this early time in the offseason, and it may not get any easier as we work through the spring and summer. My gut says LeSean could be a top-15 RB in PPR leagues but fall to a top-25 value in standard formats. In other words, I’m convinced he will start and can catch 50-60 passes, but I’m not sold on him being a workhorse.