Miami Marlins: Why Team Needs Albert Pujols More Than CJ Wilson or Mark Buehrle

Fresh off giving out the most lucrative contract in franchise history by a mile to shortstop Jose Reyes over the weekend, the Marlins have yet to take their foot off the pedal.

In fact, they are stomping at it as the Winter Meetings have kicked off. 

Late last night, after Reyes was reportedly headed to the Marlins for six years and $106 million, Jayson Stark of ESPN reported the team still has its sights set on getting Albert Pujols too. 

We all know the Marlins have already wined and dined with Pujols, specifically on the day they unveiled their new look and even gave Pujols the grand tour of the new ballpark equipped with a Miami Marlins uniform with his name on it. 

Reports stated the Marlins offered Pujols a nine-year deal, but its unknown what the exact value was, as reports had it as much as $225 million to as low as $180 million.

The bottom line is, we don't know what the Marlins have up their sleeve because signing Heath Bell was an out-of-the-blue move for a team hesitant to pay pitchers, much less relievers. 

The Marlins have essentially plugged every hole in their lineup with the Jose Reyes signing, which effectively moves Hanley Ramirez to third base and Emilio Bonifacio to center field. 

The only issue left is of course starting pitching, which plagued the team as much as the offense did last year, but the question remains, who matters more to Miami? A No. 2 (at best) starting pitcher like CJ Wilson or Mark Buehrle or a universal star like Albert Pujols? 

Here is the dilemma: Can we be guaranteed that Wilson or Buehrle are going to be healthy and of course be that reliable No. 2 guy for the Marlins for four or five years?

I would rather spend the money on Albert Pujols, because he is the one who will bring in every last bit of the alienated fans back and even create new fans, whether bandwagon or potential lifelong ones.

The Marlins have an opportunity to show that they are done shopping at the Dollar Store or Ñoooo! ¡Que Barato! with nickels and dimes and have made the ultimate upgrade to Armani Exchange with a Centurion Card. 

Look at this lineup if Pujols joins the Marlins: 

SS Jose Reyes

CF Emilio Bonifacio 

1B Albert Pujols

3B Hanley Ramirez

RF Mike Stanton

LF Logan Morrison 

C John Buck 

2B Omar Infante 

Murderers' row would begin and not end until the latter third of the lineup, and that's if Buck and Infante can't overcome the poor starts they had last season. 

So what becomes of the starting rotation? Would you commit $100 million to Wilson after just doing so to Reyes? Would Buehrle even come here without the no-trade clause? 

The Marlins have a trade market open for them to exploit; they will just have to package more players in a deal for a starting pitcher because of a lack of quality talent. 

I sincerely believe the Marlins can get Gio Gonzalez for a package that includes Gaby Sanchez, Matt Dominguez, Chad James and Marcell Ozuna. Maybe you offer just as equal a package to the Rays while adding Chris Coghlan and another minor-leaguer. 

At the end of day, it's whether you feel comfortable giving out money to a middle-of-rotation guy or a superstar. The Marlins can get the best of both worlds by doing the right things, and at this moment they have a chance to do something no MLB team has ever done before. 

You've gotten the attention of those former fans. Signing Pujols assures they will return—every last bit of them.

The pros of acquiring Pujols to be paired with Reyes, Stanton, Ramirez and Morrison means seats will always be filled, you will get more promotion deals from sponsors and you open the chance of a possible home run pursuit down the line (318 home runs shy of breaking the HR record). 

You can't go wrong with either choice if you're the Marlins. Yes there are risks, but apparently the Marlins don't care of what happens down the road.

They are risking all for the immediate future and are hoping even one World Series title will make it worth their while.