Greg Cote editorializes in the Miami Herald that the Marlins should be more aggressive in improving the team:

Indications are that the club plans to stand pat with its cheap-o payroll, with a budget plan that will leave little left over after stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are secured for the future.

Too bad. Management sought to improve neither the bullpen nor center field during last season's stretch run that ultimately fell short of the playoffs.

Time to make amends now.

Time to spend the money or deal the minor-league prospects to go get immediate, necessary help.

Time for the club to start winning back some of the public goodwill lost with the Girardi sacking.

Time to start furthering the sense of franchise momentum, and commitment, that might help kick-start the seemingly ever-foundering efforts to see a new retractable-domed stadium built.

The Tigers gave up three prospects to the Yankees to get aging Gary Sheffield.

The Marlins should be smarter, but just as aggressive. It would require increasing the majors' lowest 2006 payroll by enough to have substantial spending money even after re-signing Cabrera and Willis, which should be an absolute given.

Not asking you to turn into George Steinbrenner here and start shooting money from a shoulder cannon, Mr. Loria. But must the payroll be dead-last again? The butt of baseball jokes? Wouldn't a decent increase be worth more than all of your words about commitment to South Florida?

The Marlins should be able to take on at least another $30 million in payroll (after all, the current payroll is covered by revenue sharing). The question is, should it be now? In general, I'd say yes, simply because adding payroll and talent for this team is easy. But in general, a team should be allowed to develop so you know exactly what hole need to be filled. A good example of this was the Cleveland Indians of the early 1990s. They put together a young talented team, but let that group gel for two or three years before they brought in Hershiser, Martinez and Murray to make the run for the World Series. While I'd love to see Florida add a couple of star players to see what happens, I also understand it may not be the best plan for the organization.