Miami Marlins: The Best-Case Scenario for Marlins to Fill Their Vacancies

The Miami Marlins have built up quite the reputation this offseason of being legitimate spenders, a stance that fans and even Yahoo's Jeff Passan don't buy. But why not? When the Marlins make it known they won't be spending you'll never hear rumors of them targeting the biggest names. This much was evident last offseason when you didn't even hear the slightest connection to them with pitcher Cliff Lee or third baseman Adrian Beltre.

The last time the Marlins were this "serious" was back in 2005 when the franchise signed Carlos Delgado to bolster their offense and they delivered. The Marlins are in a situation where they have turned all the attention on them and they certainly aren't going to come up empty handed.

The Marlins have met with Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Yoenis Cespedes, and Albert Pujols in that order and are expected to continue to meet with more soon. The worst thing that you can do is pretend that you want them and not sign them; it ruins the high expectations of fans and you start the new era of a franchise on the wrong foot.

The ballclub has areas of need at third base, center field, the starting rotation, closer, and for good measure a superstar player who can bring a spark to the team (Jose Reyes, Prince Fielder, and Albert Pujols).

Let's take a look at the array of scenarios at each of those areas.   

Starting Pitching

Current Rotation: Josh Johnson - Anibal Sanchez - Ricky Nolasco 

Specific Need: Left-handed starting pitcher and Innings eating starter 

Hot Stove Rumors: Marlins have extended an offer to free agent Mark Buehrle who fulfills the qualification of being a left-handed starting pitcher and an innings eater. The thought process here is that the Marlins (with Ozzie Guillen) can get Buehrle to be a veteran presence amongst the 20-somethings that make up the Marlins rotation at this moment. 

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe speculated on the possibility of the  Red Sox reacquiring Anibal Sanchez who is slated to get an arbitration offer or a contract extension from the Marlins this offseason. The Marlins are highly unlikely to take away from their rotation especially Sanchez who will command quite the return, a return the prospect-thin Red Sox don't have. 

The Marlins have already inquired about Gio Gonzalez's availability and wouldn't be surprised to hear about possible trade talks with the general manager meetings this week. But, the Marlins aren't going to deal Logan Morrison for him and it would have to take some strong convincing and maneuvers for it to get done without him.

Best Case Scenario: Marlins sign Mark Buehrle and trade Gaby Sanchez, Chris Volstad, Matt Dominguez, Scott Cousins, and Rob Rasmussen for Gio Gonzalez.

Buehrle may not be the top of the rotation starter but signing him is vital in sustaining a rotation all year long. Getting Gio Gonzalez would really help the Marlins, he is a local product and he is a top of the rotation starter. I'm not sure if the aforementioned trade would get it done but the Athletics sure are getting a bundle for him and the Marlins won't be the only team wanting to get their hands on him. 

Third Base

Current In-house Options: Emilio Bonifacio and Matt Dominguez

Specific Need: Seasoned bat at hot corner 

Hot Stove Rumors: It's not secret that the Marlins are hot after Jose Reyes to play shortstop so that the ever bulkier Hanley Ramirez can move to third base. Reyes visited the Marlins last Wednesday and ate at Joe's Stone Crab. 

Marlins beat writer Joe Frisaro reported that Reyes "loved his visit" to the new ballpark and he would like to play in Miami.

As recent as Sunday, SiriusXM radio host Dino Costa has tweeted a report citing multiple sources that Reyes has inked a deal with the Marlins. If true or not, the Marlins get an explosive leadoff man in Reyes who can create run-scoring opportunities for the lineup. 

Best Case Scenario: Marlins sign Jose Reyes 

Hanley Ramirez belongs at third base, his body has grown throughout the seasons to the point where the team is better off from a defensive standpoint if he moves there. Such move makes prospect Matt Dominguez expendable. 

Aramis Ramirez, who was a rumored target, might not be the best fit for the Marlins because he is aging and probably not worth the years or money he'd command. 

First Base

Current In-house Options: Gaby Sanchez 

Specific Need: Seasoned Bat and superstar 

Hot Stove Rumors: The Marlins approached Albert Pujols and his agent and Pujols toured the ballpark on Friday afternoon. Pujols was reportedly going to stay over the weekend in Miami. 

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Marlins have already made a "substantial offer" to Pujols but the Cardinals have offered their slugger 9 years and $210 million which would certainly have to exceed that for Pujols to leave St. Louis. 

As for the other first baseman, the Marlins have not yet reached out to Prince Fielder but might do so later this week. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that if the Marlins landed either Pujols or Fielder, that Gaby Sanchez would be trade bait. 

Other than the two big names, the Marlins aren't expected to target anyone else at the position. With either player, the Marlins would have to go at least six years and pay up to at least $150 million.  

Best Case Scenario: Marlins sign either Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder 

If I had to choose, the Marlins should sign Prince Fielder because he would be cheaper and he is younger. Fielder is a left-handed bat would would perfectly compliment Mike Stanton in the lineup. 

Pujols has his obvious perks too, he is from the Dominican Republic and brings a clubhouse leader, a guy that Hanley can learn from but it's unrealistic. 

Center Field

Current In-house Options: Emilio Bonifacio, Bryan Petersen, and Chris Coghlan 

Specific Need: Stable center field option with consistent offense 

Hot Stove Rumors: Marlins were left impressed with Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes after attending his workout last Thursday. Cespedes is being profiled as a one of the best prospects to ever come out of the island and as such teams like the Yankees and Cubs have shown interest. 

The process for Cespedes to become a free agent will take a while, reports have it at as much as a few weeks or even two months. A long delay might force the Marlins to make other moves but after having lost out on fireballer Aroldis Chapman and considering the free agent options, Cespedes will be highly sought after when his time to be a free agent arrives.

The Marlins have not gone hard after Grady Sizemore and may not be as confident he will be able to stay healthy throughout a full season.

Best Case Scenario: Marlins sign Yoenis Cespedes 

Cespedes and the Marlins are the best fit; the team now plays in Little Havana which is a predominate Cuban community and Miami as a whole is thriving with diversity, and he would benefit from playing in front of fans who have tracked him since his days with the Cuban national team.

The Marlins can go with Bonifacio in centerfield but the team could be trying to sell high on him in a deal for a starting pitcher.   

Closer

Current In-house Options: Jose Ceda, Steve Cishek, Edward Mujica, and Mike Dunn 

Specific Need: Veteran reliever with closer experience 

Hot Stove Rumors: The Marlins have shown interest in free agent closer Ryan Madson who was with the Philadelphia Phillies last season. Madson would be an interesting signing considering he was close to re-signing with the Phillies for four years and $44 million before talks broke down and the team inked Jonathan Papelbon to a more lucrative deal. 

Personally, Madson would be okay. After all, his ERA has been at 3.26 or lower in every season since 2007. In 2011, Madson had 32 saves, 2.37 ERA and a 9.2 K/9 ratio. 

The Marlins have yet to be linked to Francisco Rodriguez, Heath Bell, or any other closer and are likely to wait and see how the market develops since Papelbon's price was sky high. 

Best Case Scenario: Marlins sign Ryan Madson 

The other options Heath Bell and Francisco Rodriguez are either old or are not same as they once were. Madson is only 31 and has shown consistency throughout the last few seasons. Bell is likely returning back to the Padres anyways and K-Rod might command more money than he is worth. 

But the Marlins have shown throughout the years they will sign a low profile guy and turn him around. Options in this case are Frank Francisco, Joe Nathan and Jonathan Broxton.