The Marlins signed Heath Bell, Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle right before and during the winter meetings. During the Winter Meetings, the Marlins also made strong runs at Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, before they signed with the Los Angeles Angels. Since the winter meetings, the Marlins have gone into hibernation mode.

Currently, I do not view the Marlins as good enough to be competing with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Washington Nationals would surpass the Marlins if they were to add Prince Fielder. In my estimation, the Marlins are about eqivelent to the Atlanta Braves and Nationals if both teams stay the course with their current rosters.

So what is next for the Marlins? Do they pursue Yoenis Cespedes? Do the Marlins try to sign Edwin Jackson or Roy Oswalt? Or do the Marlins try to make a trade for Carlos Zambrano, Matt Garza, Wandy Rodriguez, or Wade Davis? Which move makes the most sense for the Marlins going forward?

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• Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez
• First Base: Derrick Lee
• Second Base: Luis Castillo
• Short Stop:
• Third Base:
• Left Field:
• Center Field:
• Right Field:

The answer: Gregg Dobbs.

The Washington Nationals, Marlins, and a mystery team are the final three in the running for the veteran pinch hitter.

The Marlins beat out the Nationals for the services of Buehrle, but they do not have an as strong track record against the always mysterious mystery team. The Angels being the last mystery team to trump their Pujols ambitions.

I would expect Dobbs to sign a cheap contract with either team and make a minimal impact in the 2012 season.

Stay tuned to Marlin Maniac for more free agent updates.

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However, this past week, Rosenthal made a post about how the “Miami Marlins might do well to trade Hanley Ramirez.” Yes, Ramirez has dominated the Marlins headlines lately. This past week, Buster Olney reported that the Marlins were listening to offers on the “disgruntled” superstar. Joe Frisaro was quick to dispell those rumors.

I am not taking a shot at Rosenthal about the Marlins trading Ramirez because he is unhappy. I have a real issue with some of the proposed trades that Rosenthal has come up with. The Marlins are better off keeping a disgruntled Ramirez and suspending him if he does not give in to what the team needs him to do. There is no way the Marlins should give any leverage or power to Ramirez if that is the case come Spring Training. With his down season and the fact that he is coming off of shoulder surgery, the Marlins would be wise to hold onto Ramirez, as his value has never been lower. With his trade value lowered, the Marlins would not be able to receive fair compensation that would make up for the loss of Ramirez. To his credit, Rosenthal does mention that in his post:

No, this is a player who occasionally flashes a selfish, petulant side — and frankly cannot be trusted to graciously make way for Reyes, his fellow Dominican.

Ramirez’s trade value is lower than it once was because of his shoulder, his sub-par performance last season and the $46.5 million remaining on the final three years of his contract. Some teams also believe that he is not a winning player.

But c’mon, he’s Hanley Ramirez.

So then I ask, does trading the Marlins most important player to their success make sense?

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