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Philadelphia has just acquired another ace in Cliff Lee. The lefty has arguably been one of the best postseason pitchers of all time. Lee will be joining a rotation that already consists of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. 

All of these pitchers are guys managers would be confident tossing on the mound in Games 1 or 7 of the World Series. The weakest of the four is Cole Hamels, who was the team’s ace when they won the World Series a few years back. The sports world should no longer be surprised seeing more than one superstar on each team. This past NBA offseason, fans around the league saw LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh “take their talents to South Beach.” 

Are the Phillies the Miami Heat of the MLB? 

Both teams have undeniable star power. The Phillies have the best rotation the MLB has seen since Glavine, Maddux and Smoltz were together in Atlanta. The Heat compiled three out of the five Eastern Conference all stars from last season. Both teams have enough talent on their rosters to where it’s almost impossible to miss the playoffs, but can both these teams achieve their goals of winning the championships of their respective sports?

Both teams have one very similar problem. The talent around them may not be enough. The Heat this season have been getting very little help outside of their “Big 3”. The bench hasn’t been scoring enough and the role players haven’t been helping out. Sure, the team is hot right now, but they haven’t really been tested since their winning streak has started. The three of these guys might not be enough to bring the championship to Miami…and the Phillies face a similar problem.

The pitching of the Phillies will be incredible this season. There is no denying that. They have the type of rotation where you wouldn’t be surprised to see back to back No Hitters or Perfect Games. Halladay and Lee are capable of doing both those things and they will be pitching on back to back nights. Oswalt and Hamels have both been aces for their teams in the last couple of years as well. The problem is the team around them…can they hit?

The Phils just lost outfielder Jayson Werth to the Nationals via Free Agency. He has been one of their bigger bats the last couple of seasons. The team was the oldest team in baseball last year and adding Lee doesn’t exactly make them younger. Jimmy Rollins has been irrelevant for almost two years now. Utley was injured for a quarter of the season and Ryan Howard experienced a significant decline in his OPS from seasons before. The team is going to struggle to provide run support for their star studded rotation. 

When you look at it closely, the teams are actually very similar. They might be playing different sports, but they both have the same problem. The talent on their rosters might not be enough to get them to the promised land, no matter how many superstars each team has. It certainly will be interesting to see how the Heat finish out the NBA season and playoffs, and how the Phillies fare next season through a grueling 162 game season and playoffs. 

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According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Florida Marlins are hammering out a deal with lefty reliever Randy Choate. 

The 35-year-old left-hander pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays last season and had a 4.23 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 44.2 innings. Used in smart matchup situations, he limited left-handed batters to a .202 batting average in 138 plate appearances. 

Choate was labeled a Type B free agent this offseason, and he’ll net Tampa Bay a supplemental-round draft pick when he signs with the Marlins or any other team for that matter. 

The Florida Marlins have changed their direction from a team who made only subtle moves in 2009. This offseason the Marlins have traded Dan Uggla to the division-rival Braves for Mike Dunn and Omar Infante, signed catcher John Buck to a three-year, $18 million contract and snatched Javier Vazquez from the pitching thin free-agent market with a one-year deal. 

The Marlins attempted a three-team trade that would’ve involved dealing Ricky Nolasco and Leo Nunez in order to acquire 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke, but talks fell through. 

Additionally, the club’s early moves centered around dumping their return from the Miguel Cabrera trade by dealing Cameron Maybin to the San Diego Padres for bullpen help in relievers Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb. 

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Come March, when Spring Training rolls around, the Florida Marlins will without a doubt turn to Matt Dominguez for a shot to claim the third base job. Originally, Chris Coghlan was destined to man the hot corner until the Dan Uggla and Cameron Maybin trades left him in the outfield only this time in center. 

But what if Matt Dominguez isn’t ready with the bat? His defense is major league ready at this point but at 20, many wonder whether the offense is a year or two away. He hit .252/.333/.411 with 14 HRs, 81 RBI in 138 games. 

If the worst case scenario were to occur and Dominguez end up back in AA Jacksonville, who can replace him at third base?

One automatic name that pops up is Emilio Bonifacio, the team’s speedy utility player but the last time he maned third base, he committed 14 errors in 86 games back in 2009. 

Even with the presence of Perry Hill, Bonifacio is better suited as the teams’ bench, pinch runner, and occasional starter perhaps taking over for Chris Coghlan, Omar Infante or playing a third when a player needs a day off. 

That leaves one available free agent bargain who was an Oakland Athletic since 1998, Eric Chavez. Let’s take a look at why the Marlins should pursue Chavez as third base insurance policy. 

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While it appears as though the Florida Marlins would love to sign Javier Vazquez and for Vazquez to end up reuniting with fellow countryman Edwin Rodriguez in Miami which would be closer to his hometown Puerto Rico, it looks as though it may be out of their price range, as he is reportedly seeking three years, $33 million. 

After trading Dan Uggla and getting back Omar Infante’s $2.5 million salary for 2011 and signing John Buck long-term ($4.5 million in 2011), the Florida Marlins have $3 to $4 million left to spend on the free agent market. 

Owner Jeffrey Loria and Larry Beinfest are hoping to use the intended Uggla money on a fifth starter to complement Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez and Chris Volstad. 

As it stands now, the ball club could go into spring training with Alex Sanabia (5-2, 3.66 ERA in 12 starts), Sean West (8-8, 5.03 ERA in 22 career starts) and minor leaguers Tom Koehler (16-2, 2.61 ERA in 28 starts in AA Jacksonville) and Elih Villanueva (14-4, 2.26 ERA in 28 starts in AA Jacksonville) as possible candidates for the fifth spot but rather than using it on another area such as the bullpen or in the infield, the team is intent on finding a veteran fifth starter.

Last season, the team gambled on Nate Robertson, and that experiment failed as he went 6-8 with a 5.47 ERA in 19 games. 

If the Marlins’ intention is to indeed pursue and acquire a veteran fifth starter, here are five cheaper alternatives to a more expensive Javier Vazquez or Carl Pavano.

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The Florida Marlins have been making extreme tidal waves thus far this offseason with the trades of Dan Uggla, Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller and are about to make even more with their reported interest in Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton. 

For the Marlins, their interest has come from left field, never have they been this active in trying to improve their team, this early in the offseason in quite a while. Part of it could be attributed to the eerily quiet offseason last year, where the Marlins made no big additions and ended up paying for it in the standings with a 80-82 record after their lofty expectations of a playoff berth. 

According to reports and sources, a package of Logan Morrison and Ricky Nolasco would be enough to land the 23-year-old outfielder from Arizona, who was the first pick in the 2005 First Year Player Draft. 

Nevertheless, the Marlins have been in negotiations to sign Ricky Nolasco to a long-term extension. Back in October, Nolasco’s agent Matt Sosnick said the sides had agreed on the number of years, but were “about 20 percent” off on the salary. He also anticipated talks to pick up again in November or December.

If contract talks go south (the Dan Uggla route), expect for trade talks to pick up with Nolasco’s name attached. Back in July, Nolasco had his name mentioned in trade rumors in when the team was hovering around .500 coming out of the All-Star Break but after pulling together a win streak they kept Ricky Nolasco and saw themselves as buyers. 

Nolasco was 14-9 with a 4.51 ERA in 26 stars in 2009 and can become a free agent after the 2012 season.

The Marlins would rather make a deal like this now than next offseason ahead of their new ballpark when they would would themselves as a championship-caliber team. 

Yet any such trade is seen as a long shot because the Marlins value pitching and would be lacking in that department after Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, and Chris Volstad. Acquiring Justin Upton at the cost of trading Morrison would likely mean that Chris Coghlan remains in left field versus going to center field if no trade occurred. 

On the other hand, acquiring Justin Upton would be benefical for the Marlins since he is locked up through the 2015 season (five years at $49.5 million left), with a similar dollar amount offered to Dan Uggla (four years, $48 million). Upton is expected to earn $4,250,000 in 2011 and along with John Buck’s $6 million annual salary would almost total up to the $12 million allocated for Dan Uggla had he signed a long-term deal. 

The Marlins expect to raise payroll after the upcoming season to be aligned with the middle of the pack which is expected to be anywhere from $75 million to $85 million so Upton’s latter years of the deal which rise into $14-15 million a season shouldn’t be a holding point. 

At the end of the day if any deal happens, it probably wouldn’t be until December when Winter Meetings roll around and when the Marlins have had enough time to iron out contract talks with Ricky Nolasco but the way this offseason has gone you just never know what might happen next. 

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The Atlanta Braves acquired All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins in a trade for utilityman Omar Infante and pitcher Mike Dunn. 

The trade reunited Dan Uggla with his former skipper Fredi Gonzalez who was fired in June after the Marlins underperformed. 

Uggla, 30, was in negotiations with the Marlins on a long-term deal but he rejected a four year contract offer valued at $48 million because he wanted a fifth year added to the offer.

Uggla leaves the Marlins as the all time leader in home runs with 154 home runs in five seasons with Florida and takes his talents to Atlanta, bringing a much-needed power bat to a Braves lineup that has lost it in recent years with injuries and departures of Mark Teixeria and Andruw Jones. 

Uggla is currently in his final year of team control, and will be a free agent after the season unless the Braves sign him to a contract extension. 

On the Marlins end, this deal fulfills team needs rather than acquiring the best available blue-chip prospect for the slugger. All-star Omar Infante is all but likely to be the teams starting second baseman, brining a much better glove at the position than Dan Uggla. If not second, the utlitityman Infante is likely to find a landing spot at third base or centerfield.  

Offensively, Infante was one of the better hitters in the National League, hitting .321 (ranked third) to go along with eight home runs and 47 RBIs in 134 games played. 

Mike Dunn, on the other hand, fulfills the Marlins need for a left-handed reliever who can be an effective arm and strikeout machine. Dunn was 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA, striking out 27 batters in 19 innings pitched. 

Dunn could find himself in the mix for the eight inning job or a specialist role rather than a closer considering the Marlins are thin with lefties. 

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The offseason for the Florida Marlins has been quite a whirlwind and it a surprise twist blew the Marlins way when Dan Uggla stunned the front office be rejecting a four year, $48 million extension. This past season, Uggla had career highs in batting average (.287), home runs (33) and RBIs (105) with a steady salary of $7.8 million. 

Why would Dan Uggla reject the Marlins offer? For starters, Dan Uggla has essentially raised the bar on power hitting second basemen by hitting 30 home runs in four consecutive seasons, no second baseman has done that in the history of baseball, not even Chase Utley or Jeff Kent have accomplished that feat. 

The Florida Marlins are also hesitant to offer a long-term deal to a player whose production might begin to decline. Dan Uggla will be 31 by Opening Day and if he gets his way will be 36 by the end of the five year deal, something the Marlins want to avoid considering Uggla isn’t great with the glove at second. Uggla is expected to earn $10 million + in 2011 and gradually rise for the next few seasons of his contract. 

While these contract talks are akin to the Josh Johnson fiasco of the last offseason, Johnson is four years younger than Uggla at 26 and the Marlins are tend to shy away from offering long-term deals to players who are over 30. 

At the end of the day, I expect the Marlins to get a deal done with Dan Uggla just because this is the last thing the front office needs a season prior to the opening of their new stadium, bad publicity and another infamous jettison of a cornerstone player, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are prime examples. 

 If a deal gets done, expect for the fifth-year to include somewhere in the neighborhood of a mutual option or a vesting option which would give Uggla his dough if he achieves certain seasonal milestones. 

But what if nothing gets done? Here are five possible trade destinations for Dan Uggla if the Marlins deem Uggla out of their range..

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After various rumors circulating throughout the postseason as to who will manage the Florida Marlins in 2011, the ballclub wasted no timing in making a decision as they are expected to bring back interim manager Edwin Rodriguez on a full-time basis. 

Edwin Rodriguez went 46-46 with the Marlins, ending up in third place in the NL East but dealt with injuries to ace Josh Johnson, co-ace Ricky Nolasco, and injuries to Hanley Ramirez and Chris Coghlan.

Current Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was dismissed in late June at 34-36 and in fourth place in the NL East.

Whether Edwin Rodriguez remains beyond the 2011 season remains speculative and hinges on the team’s performance on this upcoming season eve to the new ballpark in 2012.

Reports are that owner Jeffrey Loria is craving on a high-profile name in time for the 2012 season after swinging and missing on Bobby Valentine and Ozzie Guillen in recent weeks.

The offseason now focuses on the Marlins filling out the rest of coaching staff and roster, which is expected to get a boost on the defensive side.

According to Juan Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel, an announcement is forthcoming on both Edwin Rodriguez’s hiring and the return of infield guru Perry Hill who was with the Marlins from 2002 to 2006.

Perry Hill might prove to be the biggest offseason addition for the Marlins who were in the bottom of most defensive categories last season. Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla and Gaby Sanchez had a combined 45 errors last season with the latter two setting career highs in that category.

Hill was most recently with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009 as the Pirates infield and first base coach but was out of baseball last season after the ballclub refused to release him of his contract he wished to leave behind.

Beyond the coaching end, the Marlins will now set their sights on retaining infielder Dan Uggla and pitcher Ricky Nolasco on long-term deals which figure to be the cornerstones to the new era of the Florida Marlins in 2012.

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Now that the least interesting World Series in years is finally over, all 30 MLB teams can again have hopes and dreams for the upcoming season. Most of the 2010 playoff teams are again favorites heading into the off-season, but there is always yearly change in who makes the playoffs. 

The following list is mostly compiled of teams who were not competitive at all late into the year. The teams are in order of how much change their 2011 season will be from their respective 2010 seasons. A major motif for these teams is how their youth will take it to the next level.

Here are the teams that were considered afterthoughts in 2010, but who are going to surprise everyone in the 2011 season. 

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At this rate, you’re probably sick and tired of reading stories of speculation about the next possible Marlins manager. But despite all the speculation about who will be the Marlins’ next manager, with potential skippers ranging from Bobby Valentine to Bo Porter, it may come down to Edwin Rodriguez, who managed them down the stretch last year. 

According to various media reports towards the end of the regular season, the Florida Marlins were a likely landing spot for Ozzie Guillen because of the turmoil that he had internally with his front office, notably general manager Ken Williams. 

Apparently, the Florida Marlins asked the White Sox for permission to speak to Ozzie Guillen, who is going into the final year of his contract with the White Sox. When the White Sox asked the Marlins for compensation, reports indicate that Chicago asked for up and coming slugger Mike Stanton, who hit 22 home runs in 100 games this past season. 

Whether or not Stanton was involved in talks or not, the two sides could not come to agreement on compensation for Ozzie Guillen. 

In any world, I wouldn’t trade a potential 40-50 homer hitter for a manager; the difference in the win column would weigh more on the player than a manager who won’t even take the field. 

When that failed, the Marlins turned to Bobby Valentine, who shut them out of his managerial future and left the Marlins scrambling over other issues ahead of them, such as getting a Dan Uggla long term deal done and ongoing stadium construction. Think of the Marlins as a quarterback under pressure; he sees two potential targets go by the wayside (Guillen and Valentine), but in the end he hands it to his running back near by (Edwin Rodriguez). 

Considering that the Florida Marlins’ previous plans have failed in their search for a new manager, don’t be surprised if after a long holding pattern in managerial talks, the organization brings back Edwin Rodriguez for a one year deal. 

It would be dumb on their part to basically give away another season (payroll is only going to rise slightly into the $50 million range), but smart if they can hire the right manager.  

The ultimate plan in the front office minds would be to give Edwin Rodriguez the job for an additional season and hope that the White Sox don’t make the playoffs next season. Ozzie Guillen’s contract has an option which is automatically picked up if his team wins the AL Central (the team holds an option for 2012); if the White Sox miss the playoffs, Guillen’s chances of leaving the South Side increase, especially if he isn’t offered an extension. 

At this point, if the Chicago White Sox wanted Ozzie Guillen and Guillen wanted the White Sox why hasn’t an extension gotten done? 

Edwin Rodriguez handled the Marlins managerial duties pretty well (46-46) considering the series of injuries he dealt with down the stretch, which could have swung his record by five games the other way (51-42).

Giving him a long look would give the Marlins a chance to see if he is worth keeping on a long term basis. If the Marlins make the playoffs this season, then Edwin Rodriguez stays, but if they don’t, he is likely gone and Ozzie Guillen is potentially in. That’s the scenario the Marlins’ front office has swimming in their heads and the one they hope ultimately happens. 

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