MLB Free Agency: Top 11 Signings in Miami Marlins History

The Miami Marlins have been uncharacteristically aggressive this offseason.

Closer Heath Bell and shortstop Jose Reyes rank among the greatest free-agent acquisitions in franchise history. Before they even take the field, I can consider their signings a success.

Although long-term contracts are a rarity for this organization, plenty of talented players have been bought off the market to contribute.

These are the purchases that have panned out for the Marlins.

Joe Borowski

Joe Borowski wasn't expected to be a notable addition when the Florida Marlins signed him to the league's minimum salary prior to the 2006 season.

Coming off consecutive mediocre seasons, however, he ascended to the closer's role by mid-April.

Albeit he slumped through September, Borowski never relinquished the title.

With 36 saves and a respectable 3.75 earned-run average, he was obviously a great value.

Kiko Calero

In 2009, reliever Kiko Calero agreed to join the organization for a single season and $500,000.

He never handled the ninth inning but performed well as a setup man. He finished the year with a remarkable strikeout total, despite lacking velocity on his fastball.

The team stayed in contention for the National League Wild Card through the end of September. Calero was a key contributor—and a cheap one.

Javier Vazquez

Javier Vazquez received $7 million to deepen the Florida Marlins' 2011 starting rotation. 

Initially, the move appeared disastrous.

The club began the season on a surprising hot streak, but Vazquez was the weakest link on the starting staff. His pitch location was terrible. All the base runners he allowed in April and May forced him to constantly deliver out of the stretch.

Shockingly, Vazquez rediscovered his 2009 effectiveness—his 2010 campaign was a disappointing one with the New York Yankees—and emerged as a leader in the rotation after the All-Star break.

He was National League Pitcher of the Month in September and, all in all, a good investment.

Jorge Cantu

Infielder Jorge Cantu turned some heads in 2005 after totaling 117 runs batted in.

However, in this game of "what have you done for me lately," he had played himself out of a starting job within a couple years.

The franchise gave him half a million dollars to play first base and third base. Eventually, that turned into $10 million over three seasons, over which time he was a legitimately productive hitter.

At the 2010 non-waiver trade deadline, he was sent to the Texas Rangers for a couple valuable prospects.

Armando Benitez

The trend towards one-year agreements continued with closer Armando Benitez in 2004.

At $3.5 million, he proved to be a great bargain.

Arguably the top MLB player at his position that year, Benitez racked up 47 saves in 51 opportunities. He was charged with only 10 earned runs in 64 appearances.

The Florida Marlins couldn't repeat as World Series champions, but Benitez was not to blame.

His abilities began to desert him the following season, though, which made the organization look wise.

Moises Alou

What we have observed from this team in recent years is a stark departure from how it confidently spent money in the 1990s.

Moises Alou, for example, signed for five years and $25 million between the 1996 and 1997 campaigns.

He performed well in the 1997 regular season and finished 10th in National League Most Valuable Player voting.

He ultimately showed his worth in that fall's World Series. He recorded nine hits—three of them home runs—against the Cleveland Indians as the Florida Marlins clinched their first world title.

Barely a week after the celebratory parade, Alou and his remaining contract was sent to the Houston Astros in the infamous "fire sale."

Al Leiter

Unlike Moises Alou, Al Leiter struggled in the 1997 playoffs.

He signed with the Florida Marlins in December 1995 and was at his best in his first season with the club.

He achieved a sub-3.00 earned run average in 1996 while pitching a career-best 215.1 innings. His velocity was consistently in the mid-90s.

The next year wasn't nearly as impressive considering that he missed a month due to injury and lacked necessary control of his pitches when healthy.

He too was exported in the "fire sale." A.J. Burnett was acquired from the New York Mets in exchange and at least he would contribute to the 2003 championship.

Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown emerged as a superstar in his two seasons with the Florida Marlins.

His 1996 statistics belittled even Al Leiter's and earned him a second place finish in National League Cy Young Award voting. His glorious 1.89 earned run average has since only been bested by Roger Clemens (2005) and Pedro Martinez (2000). Also, Dontrelle Willis is the lone Marlins player to match Brown's single-season total of 17 wins over the past 15 seasons.

He fared well again the following season, although he nearly ruined the team's World Series run by losing consecutive starts against the Cleveland Indians.

Brown was—you guessed it—traded for younger players during the winter.

Ivan Rodriguez

There surely would not have been a 2003 championship without Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.

He wasn't easy to reel in. After three months of courting, the Florida Marlins had to guarantee him $10 million for a single season, but it certainly paid dividends.

The veteran backstop caught nearly every game and dominated defensively. His presence alone deterred speedsters from attempting to steal.

As a batter, he destroyed left-handed pitching with a .376 batting average against southpaws during the regular season.

He was clutch in October, too. The Marlins could not have reached the World Series without Pudge's 10 RBI in the National League Championship Series.

Although slighted for Gold Glove and All-Star honors, there's no doubt that the veteran Rodriguez was invaluable.

Heath Bell

On Dec. 2, 2011, Heath Bell was expensively inked by the recently renamed Miami Marlins.

With a new stadium set to open for the 2012 regular season, it's hard to blame the front office for giving a three-year, $27 million deal to a closer who has been the National League's most dependable since 2009.

Now several months past his 34th birthday, his age cannot be entirely ignored.

Still, his fastball was plenty powerful last season. Combined with his plus-curveball and strike-throwing tendency, and the vast dimensions of new Marlins Ballpark, Bell is sure to succeed.

Jose Reyes

According to multiple sources, stud shortstop Jose Reyes has agreed to a six-year, $106 million deal with the Miami Marlins which would make him the biggest fish to ever swim in these waters.

Reyes is the most exciting player in baseball when healthy.

He is a triples machine—16 in 126 games last season! He's likely to run if ever stranded at first base, successful on more than 80 percent of his 462 career stolen base attempts. Pitchers also respect his home run power, while opposing hitters realize he has tremendous range in the field.

If longtime Marlin Hanley Ramirez can re-commit himself to the game, he and Reyes could comprise the league's best right side of the infield.

Heath Bell and Jose Reyes are incredible additions to this franchise, and Miami hasn't finished its holiday shopping just yet.