The Marlins face no contractual options after the season. They'll have four free agents in Jorge Cantu, Wes Helms, Mike Lamb, and Nate Robertson. Letting them go would free up nearly $8MM, most of it representing Cantu's salary.
However, that potential savings will be balanced out by raises to two star players under contract: Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson. Each gets a $4MM bump in 2011.
If the Marlins plan to retain their arbitration-eligible players, payroll must continue to increase. They've got Burke Badenhop and Brett Carroll as first-timers. Leo Nunez, Anibal Sanchez, Ronny Paulino, and Renyel Pinto will go to arbitration for the second time. The big names go for a third time: Dan Uggla, Cody Ross, and Ricky Nolasco. Maybe non-tenders and trades will pare the Marlins' arbitration list, but it includes their closer, setup man, second baseman, right fielder, and two members of the rotation.
Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.
