I think that all of the moves that the Marlins have made this offseason don't give much of a net gain in wins. Salty maybe added 2-3 wins, but I don't think that the other guys will contribute anything measurable, especially if they start Garrett Jones against LHP.

 

For the team to improve drastically from 2013, a lot of the guys will need to step of their game from last season. Offensively, the only guys I can really see improving much are Yelich and Stanton. That is assuming of course that Stanton stays healthy and isn't traded by the deadline.

 

This is the way I see it, too. Stanton and Salty should net an improvement. We'll see on Yelich but considering his prospect status as well as his time in the minors it would be reasonable to assume he'll be an upgrade over our LF production from last season. Other than them 3, the rest of the starters suck just as bad as our starters from last season.

 

This is also assuming our pitching will perform as well as it did last season. I think the bullpen will perform well but I'm not sure about the rotation.

I think we could potentially see at least a one game improvement in LF. Even if Yelich maintains his previous stat line, it would be an upgrade from the -1 wins the Marlins got from Coghlan and Pierre combined.

 

The pitching is difficult for me to project. I think Alvarez will regress because that HR/FB rate was crazy even for Marlins Park.

The pitching staff is really young, but they have the potential to be a huge asset for the team moving forward. If Alvarez and Turner step up their games in 2014, I think the Marlins are going to have a solid front four in the starting rotation. I like the bullpen and I think they can add another couple of cheap arms for the front end of the pen in free agency. They might find a nugget like Qualls was last year for them. But, I don't think the offense has improved too much. Sure, they filled black holes at catcher and 2B for 2014, but they really need a legit major league 3B for this year. It will be fun to watch the outfield though, especially if Ozuna can rake like he did when he first came up. I think the Marlins will be improved in 2014 in their play on the field, but that doesn't mean that they will get out of the basement in the N.L. East.

The Furcal signing is far from filling a black hole at 2B.

The Furcal signing is far from filling a black hole at 2B.

 

If Furcal has an average year for him, he will be a lot better than Solano, Dietrich or Lucas.

The Furcal signing is far from filling a black hole at 2B.

 

If Furcal has an average year for him, he will be a lot better than Solano, Dietrich or Lucas.

Well sure if you looked at Furcal's entire career, we'd all love an average year of that. But this isn't the mid-20s high OPS and wizard defense Furcal anymore. He's 36 now, OPSing mid 600s and coming off TJ surgery. Probably not a heck of a lot more than what you'd get from those other guys.

The Furcal signing is far from filling a black hole at 2B.

 

If Furcal has an average year for him, he will be a lot better than Solano, Dietrich or Lucas.

Well sure if you looked at Furcal's entire career, we'd all love an average year of that. But this isn't the mid-20s high OPS and wizard defense Furcal anymore. He's 36 now, OPSing mid 600s and coming off TJ surgery. Probably not a heck of a lot more than what you'd get from those other guys.

I think if he can be just slightly better than Solano/Dietrich/Lucas on the field, and also add the wisdom and experience of a veteran who's been to the playoffs and WS, it's a plus.

Wouldn't you agree?

.

The Furcal signing is far from filling a black hole at 2B.

 

If Furcal has an average year for him, he will be a lot better than Solano, Dietrich or Lucas.

Well sure if you looked at Furcal's entire career, we'd all love an average year of that. But this isn't the mid-20s high OPS and wizard defense Furcal anymore. He's 36 now, OPSing mid 600s and coming off TJ surgery. Probably not a heck of a lot more than what you'd get from those other guys.

I think if he can be just slightly better than Solano/Dietrich/Lucas on the field, and also add the wisdom and experience of a veteran who's been to the playoffs and WS, it's a plus.

Wouldn't you agree?Better than last season? That's a pretty low bar, but okay sure. I mean he's fine, if he plays a full season maybe he's a 1 WAR player at this point like the last couple years. That's a little better than the replacement-level production we had at 2B last year. It doesn't really do anything to build the team for the next 3-4 years.

The Furcal signing is far from filling a black hole at 2B.

 

If Furcal has an average year for him, he will be a lot better than Solano, Dietrich or Lucas.

Well sure if you looked at Furcal's entire career, we'd all love an average year of that. But this isn't the mid-20s high OPS and wizard defense Furcal anymore. He's 36 now, OPSing mid 600s and coming off TJ surgery. Probably not a heck of a lot more than what you'd get from those other guys.

I think if he can be just slightly better than Solano/Dietrich/Lucas on the field, and also add the wisdom and experience of a veteran who's been to the playoffs and WS, it's a plus.

Wouldn't you agree?

.

The "wisdom and experience" stuff means jack squat. If he's just "slightly better" than Solano/Dietrich/Lucas, then he's far from filling in the "black hole at 2B," as I originally stated.