Dallas McPherson Beefs up 3rd Base Depth

With Miguel Cabrera being traded away, the biggest obstacle for the Marlins in the immediate future is trying to recover some of his production. There seems to be a plan in place.

Part I was signing veteran free agents that are undervalued that the Marlins felt could make an immediate contribution. Jorge Cantu and Jose Castillo were signed to give the Marlins some solid options. Cantu, of course, has some upside and could even play 1B or 2B. Castillo has been putting together very good numbers in the Venezuelan League this fall.

Part II must have been to target a young player that is somewhat ready but undervalued. The Marlins found that player in the once highly-touted Dallas McPherson, a product of the Angels system.

Recovering from back surgery which cost him all of the 2007 season, McPherson is looking to catch on with the Marlins and get a fresh start. Players will report February 21st and McPherson expects to immediately contend for the starting 3B spot.

Read more about McPherson's climb back with the Marlins.

Cantu Signs

Can do Cantu...

Jorge Cantu just signed an agreement to play for the Marlins next season that will start at $500K and could pile on an extra 100K in incentives.

Source: FloridaMarlins.com
Confirmed: Sun-Sentinel.com

This is good news for the Marlins since they now have a 26 year old 2b/3b who has some promise if a team is willing to take a chance. Cantu, in 2005, had 28 home runs and 117 RBI. If he could replicate those numbers, he would greatly help the Marlins offense replace the departing Miguel Cabrera.

Join in the discussion.

Cantu Next?

Is Jorge Cantu the next target for the Marlins? According to his agent, Steve Canter, the two parties are "pretty far along". Cantu, the ex Devil Ray, offers some pop which the Marlins desperately need in order to even attempt to replace Miguel Cabrera's bat - especially if super prospect Maybin won't be ready.

In 2005, his best season, he had 28 home runs and batted .286 with 117 RBIs. If he could return to that kind of production, and he is only 26, the Marlins may have picked up a solid asset at maximum value. That would be a return to what the Marlins do best and Cantu would also gain an opportunity to land a larger contract in the future. So the two sides would mutually benefit. Also, let's not forget, Cantu can play 2B which could allow for Uggla to play 3B.

Another possibility is Dallas McPherson, whom the Marlins are in contact with and are working on a deal. Touted as one of the best hitting prospects in the game back in 2005 by Baseball America, McPherson could provide the Marlins with another possibility to man third base.

Marlins Sign Castillo

I'm not saying that the Marlins have found Miggy's replacement - that will never happen. But they did find a decent 3B candidate to hold the fort until Dominguez is ready - the ex-Pirate Jose Castillo.

Castillo, who couldn't find a home run last season, has been able to his 11 and 14 in the previous two seasons before, respectively. Obviously, that isn't going to make up for Miguel's power, but if he can field his position better than Miguel, and somehow raise his average above .270 in the process, the Marlins might have found a solid solution.

Keep an eye on Castillo though. He is only 26 and is tearing up the Venezuelan league right now, hitting .370 with 7 home runs in 45 games. He might be poised to blow up this season - how nice of a change would that be for the Marlins considering their luck in past seasons with other free agent acquisitions.

Cabrera and Willis Gone

Fish no more.

Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are no longer Marlins. Arguably one of the best hitters of his generation, Miguel Cabrera was working real hard on getting back into shape when the deal was made. As for Dontrelle, he was on vacation in Mexico when he got the news.

Neither player netted a familiar name in return, which was to be expected. The Marlins are in survival mode and unfortunately, this deal will fall on a few, concerned ears. Most Marlin fans checked out after the '03 ticker tape parade and won't be back until the next one.

The Marlins brass, although reportedly netting a pretty sizeable amount of young talent in return is leaving the PR department with a lot of work to do.

The Tigers would send outfielder Cameron Maybin, pitcher Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabelo and minor league pitchers Eulogio De La Cruz, Dallas Trahern and Burke Badenhop to the Marlins, ESPN reports.

Maybin has been turning heads and drawing comparisons to a certain Griffey, Jr. If that is the case, the Marlins may have started to break even in this deal. But remember, it was an unknown Dontrelle Willis the Marlins acquired for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca several years back - a deal back then met with much reservation and protest.

A full report is on the way.

Cabrera Still Being Shopped

Miguel Cabrera, who Marlins fans hoped to be the face of the franchise for a long time, is still being shopped around.

Those who want to see him stay can continue to pray; those who want to land him on their team must also continue to prey. And the bidding is getting intense.

The Marlins front office, charged with some of the most difficult challenges of any of their peers, continue to fight the good fight and try to get as much talent in return for Cabrera. It seems the Angels and Dodgers are ponying up quite a bit to bid for Cabrera's rights. Stay tuned as the Marlins continue shopping around for Cabrera.

On the positive side, if there be one, the Marlins could land an immediate surplus of young hitting talent - they have needs at center field, and third base. It might help the Marlins in a few more years contend again - theoretically with a new stadium in place.

Torrealba Still Available

Hot stove time, and the Marlins are involved in a couple scenarios.

One of them is catcher Yorvit Torrealba. The Mets were expected to sign the free agent ex-Rockie catcher, but the deal, apparently fell apart. At this time, it is unclear why the deal fell apart but speculation includes, but certainly isn't limited to, a failed physical as a possibility. If that is the case, the Marlins are better off staying away. Still, the need for a catcher is critical with the Marlins.

Wiley Returns to Marlins

In a long anticipated move, the Marlins re-signed Mark Wiley, their pitching coach they let get away after they relieved Jack McKeon of managing duties.

When the Marlins hired Joe Girardi, Girardi brought on board Rick Kranitz - the Cubs minor league pitching coordinator. Things looked good last season - while the talent of Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, Scott Olsen and Ricky Nolasco blossomed. Even though Girardi was fired, the Marlins managed to retain Kranitz despite suspicions of his real value.

This season, despite the injuries, seemed to show Kranitz's weaknesses as a coach and instructor and the Marlins, although they couldn't outright fire him, esteemed his value at a bit less than Kranitz did. So he walked. And now, the Marlins welcome back an old friend who is not only coming from a championship caliber organization, but also a mentor to Dontrelle Willis.

Now, the immediate challenge for Wiley is getting this pitching staff pieced back together and getting Dontrelle Willis' confidence back again. Welcome back, Wiles.

Offseason Updates

Well, not much to report - yet.

The Marlins are moving to 790 The Ticket, which will help them get more fans tuning in for radio broadcasts. Hopefully it will help their profile, too.

Rick Kranitz is apparently drawing interest from the Baltimore Orioles, while their old pitching coach Leo Mazzone is a free man. Maybe we could swap?

Reggie Abercrombie is going to have to live up to his potential somewhere else - in Houston. The Astros just picked him up off of waivers. Oakland also snagged another Marlin, Jose Garcia, who had been out all season with an elbow injury. Garcia has thrown a lot of strikeouts in his early career and the A's might get that move to pay off - not sure why the Marlins cut him loose.

Jason Wood, Trevor Linden and Paul Hoover were all optioned to AAA.