Marlins gain more versatility on the diamond with recent offseason moves

The moves the Miami Marlins have made this offseason will pay off with a more versatile roster in 2020.

After reading comments made across the Internet regarding the Marlins most recent moves to bolster their roster for 2020, you got the impression Miami’s front office hit a home run.

In adding Jonathan Villar and Jesus Aguilar, Miami gained power and speed to a lineup that was sorely lacking both components.

The Marlins have made it a point to bring in players with the versatility to play multiple positions over the last two years. They haven’t wavered in this process. And if the coaching staff, led by manager Don Mattingly, uses both players in multiple positions around the diamond, Miami didn’t only get better immediately, it has increased its chances of possibly adding more depth at other key positions of need.

Per Michael Hill, Miami’s president of baseball operations, the Marlins are very happy with what they accomplished this week.

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"We felt like each player was an offensive upgrade for us,” Hill said Tuesday on a conference call.“We know that Villar is incredibly versatile and athletic. We’ll look to move him around the field. We’ll look at him at third base and the outfield. Additionally, we know that he’s played second base and shortstop historically. He’s just an offensive upgrade that we thought made a lot of sense to add.”"

Any addition to a team that was 57-105 for the season in 2019 is an upgrade. The Marlins should still remain active in free agency and will test the waters again next week at the MLB Team Meetings in San Diego. The front office more than likely is not done adding hitters to the roster and should seek help for the bullpen.

For now, all the excitement centers around how the 2020 roster may look, which is a certain upgrade over this past season.

"“Aguilar, a 2018 All-Star, has tremendous power,” Hill said. “The fact that we can move Garrett Cooper to the outfield, and get him at-bats in multiple places as well, just made sense to us as we looked at the opportunity to bring Aguilar on board.”"

Fans should be interested to see what happens with the teams’ current list of players and how they will be used in the lineup. The person that is most affected immediately, is Brian Anderson, who will more than likely now play third base unless a change is made. Miguel Rojas, who signed a contract extension during the season, may wind up becoming a more of a utility player for the team off the bench.

If Villar plays shortstop alongside Isan Diaz, the middle of Miami’s infield could be one of the bigger surprises of the upcoming season. Aguilar helps stabilize weak spot at first base.

One thing that may be overlooked by many is the Marlins’ willingness to bring in Villar, who will be paid $10.4 million this coming season before he is eligible to become a free agent. The 30-yars\-old Aguilar will make $2.5 million this season and is eligible for arbitration for the second time in his career in 2021.