Carlos Lee, this season, has hit .287 with a total of five home runs. The Marlins have had arguably the worst production from First Base in the Majors as a whole. Having the lowest on base plus slugging percentage (ops) for that position, it was clear that action must be taken to upgrade production at First. Lee, throughout the course of his career has been seen as a legitimate power bat. With 354 career home runs and three all star appearances, the Marlins hope that the declining veteran still has something to offer. Miami made this trade in mind with the idea that Lee would be re-energized by a change of scenery and thus would work harder, a trait he lacked in his final years with a struggling Houston franchise.

Lee will be injected into the Third Spot of a struggling Marlins batting order. The goal is for him to hit in front of Giancarlo Stanton. However, in light of Stanton’s knee injury Lee is expected to be an additional power threat that Gaby Sanchez has failed to provide this season. All in all this is a low risk addition for the Marlins. Lee, a rental with an expiring contract, will be paid the Major League minimum for Miami and will provide a much needed veteran presence and power threat in the heart of the Marlins order.

July 4, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Astros first baseman

Carlos Lee is now a Marlin.  Today, the Marlins traded Matt Dominguez and Rob Rasmussen for Houston Astro Carlos Lee. Lee, a .279 hitter this season, can play outfield and first base.  Odds are, Gaby Sanchez will be sent down to make room for the consistent bat of Lee.  Nestled in the top six of the order, Lee will provide intentional walk protection for Giancarlo Stanton, as well as  the possibility of being a good 3-hole hitter.

This series will be a very intriguing one with a division foe. Both teams are fighting extremely hard for last place in the National League East. Neither team wants the other to outdo them in sucking!

The first two games will provide us with some great pitching match-ups, and the last one could be a pretty ugly game, pitching wise at least. Justin Klugh, the senior editor of the Philadelphia Phillies Fansided site, That Balls Outta Here, was kind enough to have a little chat with us to preview the series. I think I made him mad with one of my questions:

Just answered some questions from @ehsank24 that made me really mad at Joe Blanton already.

— Justin Klugh (@TBOHblog) June 29, 2012

Here is a look at our chat:

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On the contrary, I think this is an excellent idea for the Marlins. As Jon Heyman noted in his blog today on CBSSports:

Since the middle of May he’s hit 14 home runs (that’s all the ones he’s hit this year), making him one of the most productive sluggers in the big leagues over the past month and a half. Yet, it seems no one is ever showing interest.

Alfonso Soriano would actually be a perfect fit on the Marlins team right now. The Marlins have had virtual black holes on offense from left field, center field, first base, and catcher. Soriano could possibly provide the Marlins a way to fill two of those needs with just one move.

The Miami Marlins would be wise to make a trade for Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano (Image: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE)

According to Fangraphs, Soriano would be the Marlins second most productive player in 2012, he would be tied for the third most productive according to Baseball Reference. It all depends on which defensive metric you trust more. Either way, Soriano’s offense would instantly boost the Marlins offense.

Soriano has posted a 2.1 WAR so far this season, according to Fangraphs. Soriano currently has 14 home runs this season and a line of .270/.330/.486. His wOBA of .246 would actually be a huge boost for the Marlins offense. Fangraphs projects Soriano to hit .252/.306/.469 the rest of the season with 13 home runs. Compare that with the .258/.330/.408 that Gaby Sanchez is projected to hit the rest of the way, Soriano provides a bit more for the Marlins offensively going forward with his wOBA projected to be .329 the rest of the season compared to Gaby’s .325 wOBA.

The Marlins could acquire Soriano, put him in left, place Emilio Bonifacio in center field when he returns from injury, and move Logan Morrison back to first base.

I know, what you guys are thinking, the defense that Soriano will play in left field will more then allow Gaby Sanchez to make up whatever edge Soriano has on him on offense. Well, that premise would actually be false. Soriano would be an upgrade over Morrison in left field, and just by moving Morrison to first base, the Marlins defense would improve.

According to Fangraphs, Logan Morrison has already cost the Miami Marlins four runs on defense in 2012, in left field. LoMo is projected to cost the Marlins another four runs defensively over the rest of the season. With the Marlins in the hole that they have dug themselves into, every run will count as they try to make a post season run.

On the flip side, Fangraphs has Soriano with a positive 8.1 UZR, which is backed up by an above average UZR each of the past three seasons. Sure, Soriano is not half the player that he was before the Cubs signed him to that ludicrous  $136-million, eight-year contract that runs through 2014, in 2006, but he can still be a valuable contributor.

Soriano’s contract still remains as a major hurdle in any trade for the Marlins, but it is not crazy to believe that the Cubs would not eat the majority of his contract. The Marlins have already seen the Cubs eat a major portion of Carlos Zambrano‘s contract in order to get rid of him.

Heyman pointed out that “the Cubs are willing to pay a very substantial portion of Soriano’s deal or take back comparably ‘bad’ contracts to make a deal. yet, it never seems there are any takers.”

Soriano has never been a problem in the clubhouse. While he does have a no-trade clause, he’s likely willing to waive it to play for a contender. While the Marlins are not currently contenders with their June swoons, a move for Soriano and a hot week could get them right back in the middle of things in the NL East as well as in the Wild Card.

Alfonso Soriano would help boost the Marlins not only offensively, but defensively as well. (Image: David Banks-US PRESSWIRE)

If the Marlins can get the Cubs to take on a majority of Soriano’s contract, then the trade would be well worth it. If the Marlins want to match bad contracts, they could entice the Cubs to take on Ricky Nolasco and/or John Buck, freeing the Marlins the burden of both players and their struggles.

The better option for the Marlins would probably be the Cubs eating the majority of Soriano’s salary. The Marlins could send him one of their pitching prospects in Triple-A in Alex Sanabia, Sean West, or Wade LeBlanc. Or the Marlins could send them one of their outfield bats in Bryan Petersen or former Rookie of the Year, Chris Coghlan.

Either move would benefit the Marlins for the rest of the season, and depending on how much salary the Cubs are willing to pay, through the rest of Soriano’s contract, which expires in 2014. If the Cubs eat a good portion of the salary, the Marlins would then have no issues with flipping his bat to an American League team to play DH or just outright releasing him. It would be a low-risk, high-reward situation for the Fish.

The Cubs got a much needed jolt recently with the promotion of slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo, whose prmotion forced Bryan LaHair into the outfield. The Cubs also have another top prospect in outfielder Brett Jackson they would like to call up at some point this season. Moving Soriano would do the Cubs a lot of good right now.

The Marlins need an offensive boost of any kind right now. Alfonso Soriano could provide the Marlins with that. At the right price, Soriano makes a lot of sense for the Marlins. If they can work out a perfect deal, there is no reason why the Marlins should not work out a deal with their trade partners of many times, Theo Epstien.

Adding Soriano would improve the Marlins both offensively and surprisingly, defensively. If the Cubs eat the majority of his contract, the Marlins have nothing to lose here. The Marlins would then have the luxury of moving Gaby Sanchez and Matt Dominguez in a separate deal to fill another void on the roster.

Do you think that Alfonso Soriano is a logical trade idea for the Miami Marlins? Answer in the poll below:

April 2, 2012; Miami FL, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Ryan Webb (58) throws in the six inning against the New York Yankees during spring training game at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

We also looked at all the Marlins regular players and the projections from the Marlin Maniac staff and other projections. Just a bit earlier, I posted some predictions from analysts around baseball, including ESPN, Fangraphs, and our own Call to the Pen.

Right now, I want to make some bold predictions for the 2012 Miami Marlins season as well as some general baseball predictions. I will start with my bold predictions for the Marlins first.

Bold Predictions:

Hanley Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton will both be MVP candidates all season long.

Starting off with my boldest statement. I think Hanley Ramirez is going to have a revival in 2012 in a big way. Hanley will bring his batting average up to .300 and post an OBP of over .400. He will also see some of the power that he has been the missing the past few seasons emerge again. With a healthy shoulder, Ramirez will break out in a big way. At the end of the season, he will fall short of the MVP, but will add a trophy regardless. Hanley will be the NL Comeback player of the Year.

As for Stanton, I see him posting a traditional MVP type of season. With Ramirez, Reyes, and Bonifacio hitting in front of him, Stanton will drive in a bunch of runs. He will also, as we all know, hit a bunch of home runs. In the end, his batting average is what is going to hold him back from getting enough votes to secure an MVP.

In my projections, I have both Ramirez and Stanton posting a 5.7 WAR to lead the team.

March 29, 2012; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (2) hits a RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals during a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE

Josh Johnson will throw 195 innings and make 30 starts

This would be an amazing scenario for the Marlins. JJ would make 30 starts and come close to the 200 innings mark. The Marlins are legitimate contenders if they can get this type of production from Johnson. In my projection, I had Josh Johnson pitching a total of 150 innings. That is what I feel more safe with saying JJ will do. But in my heart, I believe Johnson can put up this type of production in 2012 and put the Marlins on his back.

Emilio Bonifacio‘s struggles at the plate will lead to a trade for a center fielder

By the trade deadline, the Marlins will realize that Emilio Bonifacio is not getting it done as an every day player. Everyone will know that Bonifacio’s 2011 season was a fluke. The Marlins fortunately have a top prospect they have the luxury of being able to trade in a deal for a center fielder. That prospect is Matt Dominguez. I cannot predict right now which center fielder will become available and what else the Marlins might need to include, but my prediction is that the Marlins will make some sort of move for a center fielder. Maybe Peter Bourjos from the Los Angeles Angels makes sense to the Marlins. If Mark Trumbo does not work out at third, maybe the Angels would want to add Dominguez to play third. The Marlins would have to give up a bit more to make a fair deal.

Could Matt Dominguez be used as trade bait? Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

Ricky Nolasco has a breakout season

I know Nolasco has made many people look stupid over the past few seasons when the pick him as a breakout candidate, but I truly believe that 2012 can be that season for him. Nolasco has come into camp this season lighter and is throwing the ball better then he has in the past. He also has a lot less stress on him this season. Last year was his first year of a new contract and he was projected to be the Marlins second best pitcher. This season, many analysts would pick Nolasco as potentially the Marlins fourth best starter. Maybe with less pressure on him, Nolasco can finally turn it around for the Fish.

The Marlins will challenge the Philadelphia Phillies all season long for the division

But they will ultimately fall short and clinch one of the two wild card spots. The Phillies can no longer be seen as runaway favorites for the NL East title. The Marlins, Washington Nationals, and Atlanta Braves will all stick around for most of the season. The Nationals will fade away in September when Stephen Strasburg is starting to reach his innings limit. The Braves and the Marlins will be in the race with the Phillies until the final day of the season. The Phillies will end up winning the division and the Marlins and Braves will play a one-game playoff. The Marlins will win that and advance to regular playoffs.

That is all we will have on here in terms of Miami Marlins 2012 season preview items. The Marlins 2012 season is set to kick off in just a couple of hours!

Here are my predictions for what will happen in baseball in 2012:

Ehsan’s Predictions

AL East: New York Yankees

AL Central: Detroit Tigers

AL West: Texas Rangers

AL Wild Cards: Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels

AL Champs: Texas Rangers

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals

NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks

NL Wild Cards: Miami Marlins, Atlanta Braves

NL Champs: Philadelphia Phillies

World Champs: Texas Rangers

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera

NL MVP: Justin Upton

AL CY Young: Felix Hernandez

NL CY Young: Cole Hamels

AL ROY: Matt Moore

NL ROY: Shelby Miller

Let me know what you guys think and make some of your own predictions in the comments. It will be a lot of fun to come back to these when the season ends.