Marlins' Rotation Top Offseason Priority After Lousy 2007

MIAMI (AP) _ Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella sat behind his desk in the visitors' clubhouse last week, looking a little dazed after three consecutive losses to the Florida Marlins. <br/><br/>``This

Monday, October 1st 2007, 2:27 pm

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella sat behind his desk in the visitors' clubhouse last week, looking a little dazed after three consecutive losses to the Florida Marlins.

``This team here, I don't know how they lost 90 games,'' Piniella said. ``They're a talented bunch of kids. They swing the bat.''

But while Piniella's Cubs are playoff-bound, Florida's offseason began Monday. The Marlins set franchise records for hits, runs and home runs, yet needed a late surge to finish 71-91.

Despite the National League's smallest payroll at $31 million, the young Marlins had expected to contend this year for a postseason berth. Instead they finished last in the NL East.

``It has been a disappointing year,'' left fielder Josh Willingham said. ``We've had a lot of people doing a lot of good things individually, but for the team it's not the kind of year we wanted to have.''

Shortstop Hanley Ramirez and third baseman Miguel Cabrera ranked among baseball's best offensive players, and Kevin Gregg emerged as a solid closer. Willingham, right fielder Jeremy Hermida, first baseman Mike Jacobs and second baseman Dan Uggla succeeded as second-year big leaguers.

But starting pitching sabotaged the season.

With five starters who won at least 10 games apiece in 2006, the rotation was expected to be the Marlins' strength. Instead, injuries sidelined second-year pitchers Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco for most of the season, and the trio totaled three wins after combining for 33 last year.

``When three of our top five guys go down, that's a big hole to fill,'' Jacobs said. ``I don't care what organization you're in.''

The rest of the staff failed to take up the slack. Dontrelle Willis endured his worst season, going 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA, and Scott Olsen also went 10-15 with an ERA of 5.81. Eleven starters combined to go 42-63 with an ERA of 5.58, worst in the majors.

``We didn't do a very good job of surviving the injury bug,'' first-year manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Compounding the bad pitching was the worst defense in the majors. Gonzalez blamed a lineup that often had seven first- or second-year players.

``Some of the errors we made are inexperience errors,'' he said. ``They're kind of dumb errors, really. We'll address that. You hope a lot of those errors will get eliminated just by experience and maturity.''

Gonzalez's even-keel demeanor won praise from owner Jeffrey Loria, and for the first time in three years, there won't be an offseason managerial change. Instead, shoring up the rotation will be the top priority.

Johnson might miss all of 2008 recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery. It's uncertain whether Sanchez will recover from shoulder surgery in time for the start of the season. And Olsen and Willis could be traded.

Olsen coupled his poor performance with an arrest for DUI and a confrontation with a teammate, while Willis cost the Marlins $645,000 per win _ pricey for such a thrifty team.

Willis, long accustomed to trade speculation, predicted he'll be back with Florida next season.

``I've been on the trading block for three years,'' Willis said. ``That might be a record.''

The rotation woes could instantly be solved by acquiring pitching help in exchange for Cabrera, whose salary is likely to jump to at least $10 million in 2008. His 34 homers and 119 RBIs were career highs, and he batted .320.

Unless Loria increases the payroll, it'll likely be impossible for the Marlins to afford both Cabrera and Willis next year.

``It's a business, but those two guys are the faces of the team,'' Olsen said. ``I think it would be a good idea to keep them here.''

Not that their departures would alienate many fans. As it was, the Marlins finished last in the majors in attendance, and in the final six weeks crowds were often 3,000 or less.

``That's the way it is down here,'' Jacobs said. ``There's not much that's going to change that unless we get a new stadium.''

Major League Baseball is leading the latest push for a ballpark. Negotiations are expected to intensify in the coming months, another reason it could be an eventful offseason for the Marlins.