Florida Marlins

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2002 Finish: 79-83, 4th, NL East, 23.0 GB	2002 Payroll: $43,660,256 (25th)

Projected Lineup 2B Luis Castillo CF Juan Pierre C Ivan Rodriguez 3B Mike Lowell 1B Derrek Lee LF Todd Hollandsworth RF Juan Encarnacion SS Alex Gonzalez Projected Rotation RHP A.J. Burnett RHP Josh Beckett RHP Brad Penny LHP Mark Redman LHP Michael Tejera CL Braden Looper

By Jacob Luft, SI.com

Nearly every team has a Turn Back the Clock day. The Marlins are trying to have a Turn Back the Clock season.

Though the 10-year-old franchise doesn't have much history to lean on, it is harkening back to the game's days of yore for its on-field strategy. Think Cap Anson, think John McGraw.

Florida wants to run the bases, bunt runners over and use sprinter speed to chase down fly balls in the cavernous Pro Player Stadium outfield. A little pitching would be nice, too. In a word: smallball.

It's what manager Jeff Torborg believes in, which is why the club's offseason moves were tailored to suit his dream of a fast, scrappy unit. Free swingers Preston Wilson and Charles Johnson, two of the main reasons the team ranked third in the National League in strikeouts last season, have been replaced by speedster Juan Pierre and future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez.

Kevin Millar, who led the club in batting last year with a .306 average, was sold to the Red Sox (by way of Japan in a fiasco of a deal) because he is slow and can't field. Florida used the cash and his salary slot to pick up journeyman outfielder Todd Hollandsworth and left-handed starter Mark Redman.

Of course, the key will be pitching -- young pitching, in this team's case. No matter what the offense does, the Marlins won't contend for anything unless they get banner years from flamethrowers A.J. Burnett, Josh Beckett and Brad Penny. As is often the case with inexperienced hurlers, though, they all have a history of injuries to overcome.

The main concern from last season hasn't changed: shortstop.

Alex Gonzalez has been dismal since making the All-Star Game as a rookie in 1999, and now he is coming off shoulder surgery. He needs to rehab well and make a quantum leap in production. All is not lost if he fails, because erstwhile bench player Andy Fox was a revelation as the everyday shortstop last season (31 steals in 38 attempts).

The other major battle will be for the closer spot, where Braden Looper finally appeared comfortable at the end of last season, going 13-for-13 in second-half save opportunities. Former Braves righty Tim Spooneybarger and farmhand Blaine Neal will compete with him for the job.

For most of the winter, Ivan Rodriguez was holding out for a $10 million deal. The baseball world was shocked when it was the poverty-crying Marlins who finally gave it to him.

But Pudge didn't get all he wanted. For one thing, the deal is heavily deferred, with only $3 million coming in 2003. Plus, it is only for one year, which means he has to have a vintage I-Rod season at the plate if he wants to have more bargaining power in next winter's free-agent market.

Years from now, the Cubs may rue the trade of Dontrelle Willis to the Marlins, in which they received the high-salaried duo of Antonio Alfonseca and Matt Clement.

Willis emerged seemingly from nowhere last season to become one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the game, going 10-2 with a 1.83 ERA at Class A Kane County and 2-0, 1.80 at Class A Jupiter.

The reports on him are nothing but glowing, and many believe he will either make the club out of camp or be a midseason call-up at the latest.

Arrivals: C Ivan Rodriguez (free agent from Texas), OF Todd Hollandsworth (free agent from Texas), OF Gerald Williams (free agent from New York Yankees), OF Al Martin (free agent), OF Juan Pierre (trade from Colorado), RHP Tim Spooneybarger (trade from Braves), RHP Ryan Baker (trade from Braves), LHP Mark Redman (trade from Tigers), RHP Jason Fuell (trade from Tigers).

Departures: OF Tim Raines (retirement), OF Eric Owens (free agent signed with Angels), LHP Graeme Lloyd (free agent signed minor-league deal with Mets), RHP Julian Tavarez (free agent signed minor-league deal with Pirates), 2B Homer Bush (free agent signed minor-league deal with Padres), C Charles Johnson (traded to Colorado), OF Preston Wilson (traded to Colorado), LHP Vic Darensbourg (traded to Colorado), 2B Pablo Ozuna (traded to Colorado), 1B/OF Kevin Millar (traded to Boston), RHP Gary Knotts (traded to Tigers), LHP Rob Henkel (traded to Tigers), LHP Nate Robertson (traded to Tigers).

The reality is the Marlins are in a loaded division, with the Braves, Phillies, Mets and Expos oozing much more talent than this club. The offseason moves, cosmetic as they may seem, were really done with one huge thing in mind -- finances.

Other than Juan Pierre, who is owed a total of $5.7 million in 2004-05, there are no guaranteed contracts on the squad after this year. That is the type of flexibility that can keep the franchise afloat until lightning strikes with its bevy of young pitchers or the contraction ax falls in 2006, whichever comes first.