Nov 11th 2008 12:00PM by Josh Alper (author feed)

When the Marlins dealt Miguel Cabrera last winter, it was assumed that they would battle the Nationals for the cellar in the National League East. That made their 84-77 record one of the most pleasant surprises of the season.

Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla led an offense that finished second in the NL in home runs, the preferred method of scoring for an offense that didn’t get on base with much regularity. Chris Volstad looked like a future ace in 14 starts. Volstad, Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson and Andrew Miller are a very young rotation, but potentially a very good one if they’re healthy and consistent in 2009.

Almost any team would envy the young, talented roster the Marlins possess, but building on their 2008 successes will be contingent on which players return next season. As always, the Marlins are dealing with monetary issues that often trump diamond ones. How they manage those two sides will decide how far they go next season.Continue Reading