ESPN's Jayson Stark mentions that we've shown interest in Brian Fuentes from Colorado.  It's hard to imagine he wouldn't be the best arm in the pen, which could shift Gregg to the setup role and give us a lot more flexibility.

Stark says it would cost "one good piece."  Well we've got some good pieces.  Not a lot of great pieces, but plenty of good pieces.  I'd be willing to part with anybody from the Triple-A club, although who knows if they would want anybody.  I'd also give up some of our better positional guys if we were getting back a young guy or two.

This is pure speculation, but Colorado would also like to deal Garrett Atkins before the deadline.  I've long been a fan of Atkins and would love to see him at third base, with Cantu moving over to first.  But hey, that's just spitballing.

After watching the first few innings of today's game at the Phils... the guy is just terrible.  I've tried to rationalize it, but he's horrendous at third.  It's not just the terrible throwing errors.  He can't make plays and catches that any capable 3B can make.

This may be more for Ramp than anybody else, but how close is Matt Dominguez?  I know he's in Greensboro this year, but I can't seem to find any compiled season stats for him anywhere.  It seems like a long shot, but is there any chance he could be starting in 2009?  I feel like he'll probably need at least a season in Carolina before making the jump.

I'm a little weary of promoting Dallas McPherson, mostly because of his monumental strikeout rate.  Also, Albuquerque is prone to big offensive numbers, so it's hard to get a good read.  I also have no clue about his defensive skills, so I can't say for sure it would be an upgrade there.  But it wouldn't be tough.

Aside from those two, I can't see any other options aside from moving somebody like Uggla to 3rd, with Coghlan coming up.  I think moving Uggla (or Hanley, for that matter) would be a bad move because the two have pretty good chemistry up the middle in turning double plays, and their range is pretty well suited where they're at.

But pleeeeeease don't make me watch Cantu's awfulness much longer.

Rosenthal pointed out in this column that 14 Marlins will be eligible for arbitration next year, a fact he believes will result in some trades for our young Fish (basically, our best players).  He thinks they could go as early as this summer.

I'm not sure if I agree, as I don't see many of these guys (outside of Hanley) getting huge salary bumps.  I'd expect guys like Uggla and Hammer to get bumped into the $2MM range, with Hanley possibly from $4-5MM.  Overall, this will result in a $10-15MM bump in payroll overall, which I think the franchise can absorb.

One guy I can see as trade bait, however, is Uggla, considering Chris Coghlan is waiting in the wings.  I see Uggs as comparable to an Adam Dunn type, so some teams should be interested (maybe Cinci, with Dunn going FA after this year).  In a smaller ballpark, he could potentially be a 40 homer guy.

I swear to god, if this team had any brains they would buy out Hanley's arb years with a long-term deal.  I guarantee we will get the better end of the bargain.  Hanley will make A-Rod money in the free agent market without a doubt.  I'd say 95% of GMs would pick him as the one player they'd want for the future, and it would be a travesty to let him go.  Obviously, he won't be traded this year, but the whole penny-pinching-until-2011 thing has me worried.

Here endeth my input/rants.

As promised, here are some pics from my rainy outing to the Nationals game on Sunday, March 23.

Opening ceremonies, color guard, etc.

Hammer, Gonzo, De Aza, and Fredo warming up

Danny and Hanley getting loose

The Incredible Hurk hurls the first pitch

Hanley the Manley stepping in

It's go time

The Hurk

Pitching out of trouble

Hanley stands in to start the fireworks

He reaches with a single

Uggs smacks a double...

...and Hanley comes in to score

Hammer up with Uggla and McPherson on...

...and here they come

There's your final, 4-2, as the bats were silent after this point

Hey all, over at my site NBB we're doing division previews before the season and the NL East is the first on the docket.

My partner (Rays fan) and I (Fish fan) traded off our home divisions in order to remove our "bias," which is our whole gimmick and whatnot.  Therefore, I can't take credit for the glowing outlook the Marlins received.

Nevertheless, we hope to offer a pretty good look at each team in the divisions, so take a peek and enjoy.

http://www.nobiasbaseball.com/2008/03/nbb-division-preview-nl-east.html

As a UF undergrad and MBA student, I've lived in Gainesville for the past several years and haven't made it down for many Marlin games.  I came from Palm Beach Gardens, where my mom still lives, so whenever I head back home I try to catch a Fish game, which usually amounts to 2-3 games a season.

This year, I only made it to one game, but it was a good one.

It was Saturday, July 21, against the Cincinnati Reds.  I was looking forward to seeing Junior Griffey, whom I'd never seen live before.  BK took the hill for the Fish, with rookie Bobby Livingston hurling for the Reds.

I had great seats in the infield box, right behind home plate.  And about ten rows down, Ken Griffey senior was in attendance!  It was a cool moment to see him there.

All around, this was a great game and I was thrilled to be there.  After what seemed like a pitchers duel for the first six innings, Woody and Matty hit back-to-back homers in the seventh.  Then in the eighth, the flood gates opened and the Fish scored eight runs, capped off by a towering 3-run blast by Hanley.

The final was 11-1, with BK throwing seven strong innings for the win.  For my one game of the season, I couldn't have asked for more!

Oh and the giveaways were great.  Who wouldn't be happy with an official Marlins gas cannister and clacking noise-maker?