Sep 20, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Minnesota Twins left fielder Josh Willingham (16) bats during a game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Cleveland won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

Olsen was a top prospect (as high as 36th top prospect in baseball in 2006) for the Marlins who never lived up to his promise and was no better in Washington and after sitting out the 2011 season spent 2012 in the Chicago White Sox organization and hasn’t been back in the majors since 2010. In parts of two seasons with the Nationals he was 6-12 with a 5.76 ERA and was about 22% below league average.

Willingham played two seasons in Washington before being traded to Oakland in December 2010 for Corey Brown and Henry Rodriguez. His time in Washington was much more successful than Olsen’s. In 797 at bats over two seasons, he had a line of .263/.377/.479 with 40 HR and 117 RBI. After his one season in Oakland, he signed with Minnesota where he was one of the biggest surprises of the season. He is a free-agent again this offseason.

Bonifacio is the only player to make the major leagues on Florida’s side of the trade. In four years with the Marlins he has been more of a utility guy, playing infield and outfield. He has a line of .271/.332/.345 with the Marlins in 416 games and struggled with injuries in 2012. His best season came in 2011 when he hit .296/.360/.393 with 5 HR and 36 RBI. Injuries prevented him from repeating that this season.

The two minor leaguers traded by the Nationals were P.J. Dean and Jake Smolinski. Dean, a pitcher, never played one game in the Miami organization. His last professional action was in 2008 with Vermont in the Nationals organization. Smolinski is still with the Marlins and is an outfielder. In 2012 he played his second full season in Double A, the highest level he has reached. The 23 year old hit .257/.388/.382 in 500 plate appearances in Jacksonville.

Our Season Preview series led off with an examination of the New York Mets. We followed with a look at the Miami Marlins’ pitching staff and then Philadelphia’s. Philadelphia’s position players came next and then we moved on to Atlanta’s. We’ll finish up the position player side of things with a look at Miami’s.

Shortstop is one of those positions where there only ever seems to be a handful of superior options available across the league, before there’s a fairly sharp drop off to that next tier of players. While the members of that top group may fluctuate some and certainly open a great amount of discussion, there’s always one player who seems to teeter right on the cusp of being in or out of the group. Hanley Ramirez never seemed like he was that player. But yet, with the Miami Marlins determined to spend it suddenly seemed as though Ramirez was expendable.

March 29, 2012; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Jose Reyes (7) makes a play during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE

The Marlins made it clear early on in the offseason that they wanted to make a big splash that started with adding Jose Reyes from the division rival Mets. He had just won his first batting title, proved he was healthy again, and was a force at the plate and in the field. The Mets, in a cash-strapped situation that most Marlins fans are used to, made a minimal effort to re-sign the shortstop because they knew that they were going to be outbid. Reyes signed with Miami in early December, a six year, $106 Million deal.

Reyes adds an electric talent at the top of the order and shores up the team’s infield defense. His arrival also pushes Ramirez over to third. It was a move the long time Marlin was first hesitant to make, at least as far as what was reported through the media, and it led to speculation that he could be traded. Ramirez will be in the lineup tonight for the Marlins, at third base, and could be poised for a big season if he can remain healthy.

Rounding out Miami’s infield is the rest of their 2011 starting group. Omar Infante returned to hold down second base for two more years. Gaby Sanchez is another year older and has shown great promise at the plate which could only further develop with the added experience.

In the outfield, the team will return their same starters from last year. Logan Morrison will patrol left field, with a new uniform number and quieter demeanor (he’s still on Twitter, just a little toned down). Emilio Bonifacio will start in center field. His value has always been tied into his speed and defensive versatility, but I’ve really viewed him as the best everyday option in center field. Chris Coghlan could make his way into the center field mix if he can bounce back after a disappointing 2011 season.

The player in right field should look familiar, even if the name on the outfield scoreboard isn’t. Marlins fans got to know Mike Stanton as a budding superstar. But Giancarlo Stanton will be penciled into the starting lineup as the season starts, as he’s chosen to use his given first name going forward. Stanton is one player who’s going to be fun to watch in the years to come and he could be capable of hitting 40+ home runs with 100+ RBI.

Former National Austin Kearns seems to have won the last spot on the bench, serving as an extra outfielder along with Coghlan. He was once a fairly highly touted prospect but he’s never been able to develop into the star some thought he would. Veteran Greg Dobbs will be the team’s primary pinch hitter in all likelihood, a role that’s kept him in baseball for the past few years. Donnie Murphy will also provide some depth in the infield. Behind the plate John Buck will get most of the at bats while Brett Hayes will back him up.