Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez are the offensive leaders of the Marlins now that Miguel Cabrera is gone.

Catchers – Matt Treanor, Mike Rabelo

Not much to see here. Neither catcher has been given much of a chance in the majors. Treanor is a decent hitter, and may end up being one of those late end game picks that does not hurt you much, but also does not contribute a significant amount. But, Treanor really should be nothing more than an end gamer. Rabelo's minor league history leaves us with very little to work with, so unless you are completely desperate, you are probably best off ignoring him.

First Base – Mike Jacobs, Jason Wood

After a strong 2006 campaign, Jacobs took a step backwards last year, as he dropped from 20 home runs to 17; from 77 runs batted in to 54; and from an on-base percentage of .325 down to .317. Some might try to blame his fractured thumb for the decreased output, which is certainly a possibility. One thing to watch: Jacobs actually hit left-handers quite successfully last year, after struggling with them earlier in his career. If this is a continuing trend, expect to see Jacobs get many more at-bats, and in turn, produce higher numbers. A .270-25-80 season is within reach for Jacobs.  As far as Jason Wood is concerned, you have no reason to draft a 38-year-old career minor leaguer. Avoid.

Middle Infielders – Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, Alfredo Amezaga

At Second is Dan Uggla, one of the more successful Rule 5 Draft picks in recent memory (Shane Victorino also at the top of that list). Uggla has hit nearly 60 home runs in the last two seasons. It does come at a price, of course, since his average dipped below .250 last season. The power is there, although he may not be able to top 30 again, but the question remains whether or not he can get his average back up to that 2006 level of .282. With no Miguel Cabrera providing protection for Uggla, I would expect something closer to a .245 average. Something like a .250-27-90 season is possible.  Hanley Ramirez at short is one of the best in the league, along with his division mates, Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins. Everyone knew Hanley was talented when he was coming up as a Red Sox prospect, but the speed in which he has attained super-stardom is slightly surprising. He may not hit 30 home runs again (though I wouldn't bet against it), but the speed to steal 50+ is certainly there. His runs batted in unfortunately fell victim to what I like to call A.S.S (Alfonso Soriano Syndrome), since he's batting lead-off, but he can still be a contributor in that department. Provided he can keep that on base percentage up, he's a bona fide first round pick, and one of those special players you can build your roster around.  The backup here (likely only to be used in case of emergency) is Alfredo Amezaga. If you are in need of some cheap speed, you could do worse for a dollar, but the at-bats may be few and far between for Amezaga this year.

Third Base – Jose Castillo, Jorge Cantu

The competition to replace Miguel Cabrera started with three, and recently, with Dallas McPherson no longer under consideration, has reduced to these two guys. Let it be known right now: neither will remind any of Miguel Cabrera. Cantu is only a few seasons removed from a monster 28 home run season, so the pop is there, but it is highly unlikely that he will find a way to recapture that magic. Castillo had a decent 2006, but again, struggled last season. Neither of these options are particularly appealing, and with either, you are probably just rolling the dice on playing time. Avoid them, unless you need a roster filler at the end game.

Outfielders – Jeremy Hermida, Cameron Maybin, Josh Willingham, Cody Ross, Luis Gonzalez, Alejandro De Aza

Jeremy Hermida will man right field this year. He's got a ton of potential, which we saw a bit of last year, as he put together a respectable season. With Cabrera gone, the Marlins will turn to Hermida to pick up some slack and build on 2007. Look for him to take another step (but not the final one), and finish at about .300-25-90, with some potential for upside. Also keep in mind that this could be the last year that you can snag him at a semi-reasonable price.  Although the starting center field spot remains technically open, one has to assume that the Marlins want the job to go to Cameron Maybin, one of their key acquisitions in the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade. And Maybin has had a solid spring, batting over .300 with a pair of home runs. Maybin is young (only 21 on Opening Day), and is likely to go through some growing pains, so keep that in mind.  In time, he could emerge as a strong 20-20 threat. Probably more like 15-15 this year, but that is not bad at all.  In left will be Josh Willingham, who will have to step up his game and help replace some of Cabrera's production, along with Jacobs and Hermida. Although Willingham's home run production decreased a bit, his on-base percentage, runs batted in, runs, and stolen bases all increased. What does that mean? Hard to say, but I think most people would take 21 home runs again, if he continued to show improvement in the other categories. I'm not sure that is likely to happen, so you are probably left with a floor of last year, and the potential to hit for a bit more power. Something like .285-25-95 is certainly within reach.  The backups look to be the ageless Luis Gonzalez (actually, ageless would imply he is still producing at the same level, which he clearly is not), Cody Ross, and Alejandro De Aza. Ross is probably the best fantasy bet among this group, especially since he is probably in line to replace Maybin should the youngster flounder early on.

Starting Rotation – Scott Olsen, Sergio Mitre (injured), Mark Hendrickson, Andrew Miller, Rick Vanden Hurk, Ricky Nolasco

I have been touting Scott Olsen as a sleeper for 2008 for quite some time, and I will not stop here. Although he has a tendency to walk too many hitters, and act as his own worst enemy, Olsen did pitch into a lot of bad luck last season. Although it is possible that could continue this year, the odds are a return to somewhere close to normalcy. He may not be an ace, but he could slip below the radar, especially if anyone actually looks at last year's numbers. I'm expecting between 11 and 13 wins, with an earned run average in the low 4.00 and a WHIP around 1.30. Not too bad, and I think he will come fairly cheap.

The #2 starter was originally slated to be Sergio Mitre, but he is battling injuries and is out until June 1, at least. Since he is not that good to begin with, you can safely ignore him.  The remainder of the rotation will likely come out the following guys: Mark Hendrickson, Andrew Miller, Ricky Nolasco and Rick Vanden Hurk. There is certainly some talent in there, particularly with the latter three, but in terms of 2008 contributions, I would not get my hopes up too high. Nolasco probably has the best chance of being a 2008 contributor, with Miller the best long-term prospect.

Bullpen – Kevin Gregg, Matt Lindstrom, Justin Miller, Taylor Tankersley, Renyel Pinto, Lee Gardner, Henry Owens

The Marlins closer role was up in the air last season, with Henry Owens, Lee Gardner, and Renyel Pinto all getting save opportunities until manager Fredi Gonzalez finally settled on Kevin Gregg, a former Angel with not much major league success to date. Gregg took the job and ran with it, saving 32 of 36 attempts. His peripherals are not outstanding, with a 3.54 earned run average and a 1.22 WHIP, but he does collect the strikeouts, and he seems to embrace the closer role. He's a solid second closer for your fantasy team.  Of the rest of the names, Matt Lindstrom is your Gregg insurance. He throws HARD, and pitched fairly effectively as a middle reliever. He could provide some decent roster filler, particularly if your league counts holds. Justin Miller is a solid middle reliever in that regard as well. He had some solid strikeout numbers last year (74 in 61 2/3 innings), and pitched pretty effectively. The remainder of the Florida pen can likely be ignored, barring some unforeseen occurrence.

Projected Lineup

Hanley Ramirez SS

Dan Uggla 2B

Jeremy Hermida RF

Mike Jacobs 1B

Josh Willingham LF

Jose Castillo 3B

Cameron Maybin CF

Matt Treanor C

Projected Rotation

Scott Olsen

Sergio Mitre (injured)

Mark Hendrickson

Andrew Miller

Rick Vanden Hurk

Closer

Kevin Gregg

Next in Line

Matt Lindstrom