David Aardsma has coped with injuries for much of the past two-plus seasons. He’s now a free agent after opting out of his minor league deal with the Marlins. (Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Veteran right-hander David Aardsma and the Miami Marlins have parted ways, with the 31 year old receiving his release Wednesday afternoon. Aardsma’s minor league deal with the club contained a May 15th opt-out date and he requested the release in order to seek a Major League opportunity elsewhere, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

Aardsma had originally signed his deal with the Marlins on April 13th and made 10 appearances (14.0 IP) with the team’s Triple-A affiliate. He’s thrown well over the past month, posting a 2.57 ERA and 1.214 WHIP. Coping with injuries since the end of the 2010 season, Aardsma has seen limited time on the mound and may still need to prove himself with another organization before he sees another opportunity in the Major Leagues. He was, however, once a promising late-game option with a demonstrated ability to close out games.

Numerous teams across baseball could potentially look to Aardsma as an option for some bullpen depth, depending on how quickly he’s looking to join an MLB roster and the openings currently available in bullpens across the game. The New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Toronto Blue Jays are just a few potential options that may have some interest.

Carlos Zambrano has garnered plenty of attention over the years, both on and off the field, but was unable to land a job with an MLB organization. (Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Enigmatic right-hander Carlos Zambrano has finally resurfaced, signing a contract to join the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Zambrano will join a number of former Major Leaguers on the Ducks’ roster, including Dontrelle Willis and Vladimir Guerrero.

The 31 year old Zambrano spent 12 seasons in the Majors, 11 of them with the Chicago Cubs. In 1,959.0 career innings he posted a 3.66 ERA and 1.331 WHIP, going 132-91 in that span. He spent the 2012 season with the Miami Marlins following an early January trade from the Cubs. He’d make 35 appearances for the team, including 20 starts, putting up a 7-10 record and 4.49 ERA in 132.1 IP.

Zambrano’s career was filled with a number of on and off field incidents that left more of an impact on his legacy than his work on the mound. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes summed them up fairly succinctly:

From the ‘07 fight with teammate Michael Barrett; the five year, $91.5 Million contract signed that year; all kinds of odd ailments; the no-hitter in ‘08 against the Astros at Miller Park; the ‘09 on-field tantrum that led to a six game suspension; problems with Cubs management; the move to the bullpen and back; the issue with Derrek Lee in ‘10 that led to a team mandated suspension; his placement on the disqualified list in ‘11; to the salary dump trade to Miami; Z’s final years as a Cub were tumultuous to say the least.

Over the winter Zambrano was believed to have interest in a Major League job, though he preferred to start rather than work out of the bullpen. Little interest emerged and ultimately he was left without an offer. He’ll need to both pitch extraordinarily well and demonstrate some maturity in the clubhouse before any team will likely be willing to take another flyer on him.

Adeiny Hechavarria has long been considered a superior defensive option at shortstop and the Marlins could be activating him from the DL today. (Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

Adeiny Hechavarria is eligible to come off the disabled list today for the Miami Marlins and by all indications the team will activate their starting shortstop. Hechavarria has been sidelined since April 18 due to an elbow contusion.

Hechavarria had hit just .184/.231/.286 through 52 PA on the season before landing on the DL. The 24 year old was one of the pieces acquired by the Marlins in their November trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, the deal that shipped Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and others north of the border. Hechavarria has long been known as a defensive standout, but his bat has been a question mark since he was originally signed as a free agent after defecting from Cuba. He’s been rehabbing with the organization’s Class-A affiliate in Jupiter.

To make room on the active roster, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com believes that the Marlins will end up designating infielder Nick Green for assignment. Green was brought in on a minor league deal in the offseason and has seen limited playing time with the Marlins, earning just 30 PA. He’s hit well in that span – posting a .292/.321/.417 line – but the veteran has never posted strong numbers over an extender period of time in parts of eight seasons in the Major Leagues. It remains unclear if Green will accept a demotion to Triple-A, barring a deal that will send him to another team.

Green is understandably disappointed by the potential move, as he told Frisaro:

it’s disappointing. Everybody wants to be in the big leagues and you got to try to do the best you can when you get a chance. That’s all I could do.

There is not very much for Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton to look happy about as he sits in the dugout during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies since his team is losing and he is in a slump. Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Right now the way certain teams are playing and the way injuries have shaken up other teams, it seems as if the surest pre-season prediction most likely to hold up during the 2013 season is the doom and gloom predicted for the Miami Marlins.

I’m not sure how many among us felt that the Marlins might be the worst team in baseball history since we were at least partially distracted by the Houston Astros’ likelihood to contend for that title, too, but the Marlins are off to a flying start in their quest to replace the 1962 New York Mets for the worst record of all. The Mets finished 40-120 that year and the Marlins started 4-16, so if they can maintain their pace we can all hope.

I would think it should stay pretty quiet in the owner’s box in Florida for the foreseeable future. After stripping his team of almost anyone with any background of success, Jeffrey Loria told his fans not to worry about it because the young guys he acquired would prove to be better.

Cheaper, yes, better no.

Thus far the Marlins have attacked their National League schedule looking about as well equipped as a three-wheeled wagon about to head overland across the Plains and Rocky Mountains. The Marlins would seem to be better off if they brought Ozzie Guillen back–not to manage, but to play. And he’s 49.

As an aside, it has been interesting to note that the former All-Stars sent to the Toronto Blue Jays in the infamous Miami trade aren’t exactly thriving either. Most of those guys are having their own problems and the pre-season American League East Division favorites are in last place. Maybe Loria was right about one thing–he could finish last with or without Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes and John Johnson.

Certainly the Marlins are trying. The biggest miracle of the 2013 season, especially after Miami’s great start, would be if the Marlins did not finish last. We haven’t even reached the end of April and that’s a given. It’s more a question of by how much and a question of how bad.

So far, pretty bad. The team batting average is .221. The opponents’ team batting average is .273. Those two numbers probably sum things up as neatly as possible. The more you break down the team’s statistics the uglier it gets.

Giancarlo Stanton, the one future star that Loria forgot to trade, was injured and is hitting .200. Juan Pierre, a free agent silly enough to sign with the Marlins, is hitting .194 after batting over .300 for the Phillies last season. Four other players who have appeared in at least 11 games are also hitting under .200.

On the pitching side of the world, the Marlins’ team earned run average is 4.50.

Baseball is about the long season and the best teams lose at least a third of their games, so any time a series starts the odds suggest that the Marlins might win one out of three games. Their winning percentage is even lower than that so far. To play at a record-setting worst level Miami will have to keep it up, an no doubt the other teams salivating to feast upon the Marlins will be happy to help them.

Mike Napoli had some big home runs during his time with the Rangers. (Image Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports)

Five home runs by five different players in five consecutive innings. That’s what the Texas Rangers did on this date two years ago, defeating the Kansas City Royals by an 11-6 final. Mike Napoli got things started, connecting for a two-run shot in the 3rd off of Jeff Francis. Francis would give up a solo shot in the 4th to Ian Kinsler before coming out of the game. David Murphy added a two-run homer in the 5th, off of reliever Blake Wood. Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland hit solo shots in the 6th and 7th innings off of Nate Adcock.

To some degree the game was a microcosm of the Rangers season, as they rode a powerful offense (Napoli, Kinsler, and Beltre all topped the 30 HR mark) all the way to the World Series before losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Kinsler, Murphy, Beltre, and Moreland are all still parts of the Rangers lineup. Napoli has since left for Boston, for whom he homered yesterday against the Royals.

It takes both a deep lineup and some good timing to go on a run like that which the Rangers accomplished in this game. We’ve got a deep lineup of writers here across FanSided MLB so let’s check in once again with some of the work from this past week.

Patience is key for fans of the Houston Astros right now, as the team appears to be in the midst of a lengthy rebuilding process. There have been, however, a few glimmers of hope to come out of the this team so far on the young season. One of those happens to be the timely contributions that the team received from right-handed reliever Paul Clemens in the past week. The 25 year old rookie has twice come up clutch, shutting down an opposing offense that had torched the Astros pitching early in each game. As Greg Thurston, our Senior Editor at Climbing Tal’s Hill, writes, however, this could just be the beginning of Clemens’ legacy in Houston:

Clemens would leave the game after 74 pitches, one mangled finger, and one legendary performance. The cameras stayed on Clemens in the dugout as he pulled on the pinky to try and straighten it out a little better. Then, as he talked with pitching coach Doug Brocail, Clemens delivered a fist-bump with the same hand that housed the damaged digit. Legendary status achieved!

Major League Baseball has already taken some flack for their scheduling practices this month, despite the fact that there’s little way to predict snow storms in Denver, Chicago, and Minneapolis would end up postponing multiple games already this season. The Twins, in particular, have been taking a lot of heat for the weather – something that’s clearly out of the team’s hands. The frustrations have led to some openly questioning the Twins’ decision to make Target Field an outdoor stadium. Chris Holm at Puckett’s Pond argues, however, that the team made the right call in bringing outdoor baseball back to Minnesota:

Retractable roofs tend to lead to more games being played under the roof than necessary. Because they take time to open and close, teams with them often err on the side of caution and close the roof at first sign of inclement weather.

Finally for this week, we have one more conversation surrounding Giancarlo Stanton’s eventual fate – because the Miami Marlins have to trade him at some point. To date there have been many discussions but few reasonable solutions offered as to what the Marlins could reasonably expect to receive when/if they look to move Stanton. Old friend John Parent took a stab at a reasonable proposal over at Grading on the Curve, our recently rebranded minor league and prospects site. John’s idea wasn’t half bad, though it’s still unclear if either side would actually go for it. We’ll leave the specifics of his proposed deal for John to explain, but he comes up with a solution that just might be viewed as fair by even the sharpest of critics:

When all is said and done, if this trade were actually proposed it would take a lot of guts for either side to pull the trigger. It may take even more to walk away, however. The deal is probably the best one Miami could imagine in return for Stanton, whose escalating salary and unhappiness with the organization combine to mean he’s probably eventually going to be traded anyway. By holding on, you risk injury and the player losing value. It’s better to deal while interest is its highest.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

After hitting 37 homers in just 123 games a year ago, Stanton has spent the early part of 2013 battling injuries and slumping to a .167/.342/.233 line without a long ball to this name thus far. The 23-year-old has been the source of all kinds of trade talks, and indeed it seems very possible he could be moved at some point in the near future for Miami to complete their latest fire sale.

Coming into today’s game, the team as a whole was hitting .209/.277/.273 with just three home runs in it’s first 14 games, a truly horrendous start. While things are bound to pick up a bit from this lack of production, the odds of a non-last place finish are already very low. As for Stanton, if he’s been cleared health-wise, it shouldn’t be long before he returns to his typical power-hitting ways. The only question is how long he’ll continue to do it in south Florida.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

Michael Pineda, still recovering from a shoulder injury, could be a big key to the Yankees future if the team handles his recovery correctly. (Image Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports)

Four organizations made their debuts on this date in 1969, with three winning their first games. The San Diego Padres, Seattle Pilots, Montreal Expos, and Kansas City Royals were all new expansion teams that season, expanding baseball’s landscape even further. Montreal defeated the New York Mets that day, 11-10 at Shea Stadium, with the big hit – and the first home run of the organization’s history – coming from pitcher Dan McGinn. The Expos may no longer exist, having moved to Washington, but it was a significant day in the history of all four organizations. In the 44 years since, only the 1985 Royals have been able to win baseball’s biggest prize, a World Series title.

Also on April 8th – Hank Aaron hit career home run #715 on this day in 1974. Will Clark made his MLB Debut in 1986, hitting a home run in his very first at bat off of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Jim Abbott also made his debut on this date in 1989. Chan Ho Park pitched an inning in relief for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994, becoming the first Korean-born player in MLB history.

Now, once again, it’s time to take a look at some of the work from around FanSided MLB from this past week.

Forty years ago Saturday the designated hitter rule first was introduced. On April 6, 1973 Ron Bloomberg stepped into the batter’s box for the New York Yankees against Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox. Bloomberg would work a walk in the plate appearance, which is insignificant compared to the fact that the moment forever changed how we watch American League baseball. As Steve Peterson at BoSox Injection reminds us, however, the rule still hasn’t quite captivated all baseball fans – and there’s a big segment of the game’s fan base that still prefers the “tradition” of the National League style game.

It’s the intrigue and drama of knowing that a pitcher who just drilled a guy in the ribs has to stand in the batter’s box the next inning. It’s knowing that even a weak hitting hurler can lay down a sweet bunt to move a teammate into scoring position. It’s that moment, as happened on Opening Day, when the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw had a stellar outing on the bump and greatly helped his cause by jacking a homer en route to a 4-0 Dodgers win.

Getting players to rehab from injury is always a tricky task, particularly when the injury itself is so severe. The Yankees have been decimated by injuries already this season, but one lingering from last year – to Michael Pineda – continues to be a concern for the team moving forward. Yet, Alex Pugliese of Yanks Go Yard suggests that the Yankees could (and should) learn something from how the New York Mets have handled Johan Santana, considering both pitchers suffered from serious should concerns.

As it currently stands, the Yankees parted with one viable starter in Hector Noesi, and the highly-touted Jesus Montero (who, let us not forget, once stood between the Yankees and the acquisition of Cliff Lee in 2010), for Jose Campos and Michael Pineda, both of whom were effectively lost for the season last year with injury. To that end, the Yankees used their one silver bullet in the farm system by trading Montero, and after roughly a year and a half, have seen nothing in return for their bold move.

Finally, some of our sites had a little fun on Opening Day, since it coincided this year with April Fool’s Day. Perhaps the best received joke came from David Polakoff at Marlin Maniac. The poor fans of the Marlins already have enough to deal with – considering the state of their franchise, the perception the organization has across the game, and the ineptitude of their ownership – but a joke that many fell for (at least initially) might have been the last straw. We’ll let you be the judge in the end.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg should not be held back by inning counts this year as he was in 2012 when the team felt he was not far enough removed from surgery to go full blast all year. Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

Now that we have put the Stephen Strasburg fiasco behind us and he most likely will be treated like a real live pitcher rather than a porcelain doll, the Washington Nationals seem as solid top-to-bottom as any team in baseball. They should capture the National League East Division title and then fight it out in the playoffs with a strong chance of advancing to the World Series.

The last time the city of Washington, D.C. had a World Series winner (including a couple of versions of the Senators) Walter Johnson was on the team in 1924. To hear people talk Strasburg is the second coming of Walter Johnson, but after the team’s mollycoddling last season, shutting him down before the regular season ended, an act that help nip the Nationals’ own playoff run, I expect him to be superb.

Washington has the pitching (Gio Gonzalez won 21 games, though his name did come up in the paperwork of the Biogenesis Clinic files) and has rookie of the year Bryce Harper in the outfield, among other weapons. At this time last year many thought the Nationals might have a breakout year to push them above .500. Well, the Nationals zoomed all of the way to the top of the standings with 98 wins. Health permitting, the Nationals should be better this year.

The Nationals do not seem to have any holes in their lineup and are so wealthy in talent that they have two closers in Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen. Many of the players are young, too, and may be primed to post their best seasons. Washington definitely looks as good or better than any  team in either league.

Still, it’s the Atlanta Braves’ job to chase down the Nationals. They won’t do it in the regular season. Atlanta is not nearly as well-equipped to win as many regular-season games as Washington. The Braves are good, but not as good as the Nationals in most categories. The biggest void will be replacing future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones in the field and in the clubhouse. There’s no easy fix for that.

Two Braves players who will be intriguing to watch are starting pitcher Kris Medlen and closer Craig Kimbrel. At times they were each the hottest thrower in the National League in 2012, which for different reasons had them bordering on the unbelievable.

After scuffling for a few years Medlen began the season in the bullpen. But when he was shifted into the starting rotation in the latter stages of the season, all of a sudden he was Greg Maddux II. Medlen finished 10-1 with a 1.57 earned run average. The way he is talked about going into this season the Braves make it sound as if they expect 20-2 this time around.

Meanwhile, out in the bullpen Kimbrel was doing the same thing that Aroldis Chapman was doing in Cincinnati, though seemingly with less fanfare. In 2011, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound righty was the NL rookie of the year when he set a rookie record of saving 46 games. Last year, on his way to a second straight All-Star selection, Kimbrel saved 42 games. He also became the first pitcher in history to strike out more than 50 percent of the batters he faced. You used to hear the phrase about a handcuffed team at the plate that it couldn’t hit the ball out of the infield. Against Kimbrel teams can’t even get their bats on the ball.

It was not so long ago that the team of consequence in this division was the Philadelphia Phillies. Riding high one minute, falling apart the next, though, pretty well defined the Phils. They reached the playoffs four straight years, were a World Series favorite in 2012 after winning 102 games in 2011, but won just 81 games in 2013. Ryan Howard‘s Achilles heel was definitely the Phillies’ Achilles heel as well.

The disastrous year provoked the Phils into making some personnel changes, but no one is talking about Philadelphia possessing the greatest pitching rotation of all time the way they were two years ago. The Phillies are solid, though, and very dangerous in a short series as long as Roy Halladay stays well. He had some worrisome outings in spring training.

New York’s Metropolitans are also in this division and it figures to be a long summer at CitiField. There should be a few bright spots, starting with David Wright, once he glues his body back together after the World Baseball Classic.  Which should be enough to put the Mets ahead of the Marlins, who will have a shortage of pitching, a shortage of hitting, a shortage of wins, and a shortage of bright spots.

This is how the NL East Division should look in 2013: 1) Washington Nationals; 2) Philadelphia Phillies; 3) Atlanta Braves; 4) New York Mets; 5) Miami Marlins.

Mar 20, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) reacts in the dugout in the fourth inning during a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins charged into 2012 with a new stadium, a bevy of free agents, a new manager and a $118 million dollar payroll. During a Titanic like season, core players Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez and Gaby Sanchez were traded. Following the season, the fire sale was completed when the Marlins shed about $160 million in salary obligations in a trade with the Blue Jays.

Shedding expensive players in the name of rebuilding is not always a poor choice. However Jeffrey Loria just stuck Miami and Dade County taxpayers with a huge chunk of the cost for Marlins Park. According to Forbes Magazine

 “The stadium’s financing scheme means there will be some $3 billion in interest expenses on the construction loans that will be paid by city and county taxpayers.”

The Miami Marlins trade with the Blue Jays symbolized how far and fast the Marlins had fallen. Last year’s big free agent Jose Reyes was packaged with starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle and valuable utility man Emilio Bonifacio for a package of young players and prospects.

Three of the players received from the Jays may have an impact in Miami in 2013 or the near future. Adeiny Hechavarria is projected to be the Marlins starting shortstop. He features Gold Glove caliber defensive skills but is not a proven hitter. Starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez went 9-14 with a 4.85 ERA in 31 starts for Toronto. Center fielder Jake Marisnick was the top rated prospect in the trade, but will likely begin 2013 in Double-A.

The Marlins pieced together the rest of their roster by signing retreads like Placido Polanco to play third base. Possibly to remind the dozens of loyal Marlins fans of their last title, Juan Pierre was signed to a one year free agent contract and will get an opportunity to start in the outfield.

Now that Loria has reversed course and made the Marlins a small market team once again, there is little hope for 2013. Besides the Pink Flamingoes home run sculpture, the only reason to go Marlins Park is Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton may have the most pure power in baseball, but nobody will throw him a strike in this lineup.

Justin Ruggiano had a strong season in 2012, but has been hobbled by an injury in the spring. Hopefully for the Marlins, 1B Logan Morrison can revert back to his 23 HR form of 2011.

The Marlins starting rotation leaves much to be desired. Ricky Nolasco, who sports a career 4.49 ERA is the most accomplished of the bunch and will serve as the top starter. The bullpen is not much better. Steve Cishek has been an effective reliever for the Marlins, getting 15 saves in 2012. This will be his first season as the full time closer. Jon Rauch was signed as a free agent in the offseason to set up for Cishek. He had a 3.59 ERA in 57.2 IP for the Mets in 2012.

The best hope for the Miami Marlins and their fans lay in the farm system. Christian Yelich is Baseball America’s #15 prospect entering 2013, he could be starting for the Marlins by July. Hard throwing Cuban Jose Fernandez is Baseball America’s #5 prospect entering 2013. He is considered a future ace and could be in Miami by midseason.

But for the near future, things look bleak for the Marlins. A successful season would be beating the Mets for fourth place in the NL East and manager Mike Redmond staying silent on the subject of Fidel Castro.

Back problems might already be a concern for Placido Polanco, who’s already dealt with multiple injuries over the past three seasons. (Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

Name a part of the body and chances are good that it’s kept Placido Polanco out of the lineup at one point or another. The oft-injured veteran third baseman, who’s also now 37 years old, struggled to find much interest on the open market this past winter and wound up signing a one year, $2.75 Million deal to join the Miami Marlins. It would seem, according to NBC Sports’ Hardball Talk’s Aaron Gleeman, that Polanco is already running into some health concerns as he’s once again experiencing pain and soreness in his back.

He’s been sidelined since Saturday and had been scheduled to rejoin the lineup today, but was a late scratch leaving his status in doubt.

Limited to just 328 PA this past season with the Philadelphia Phillies, Polanco hit .257/.302/.327 with just 2 HR and 15 2B. As Gleeman points out, Polanco suffered from knee, finger, and back problems in 2012. He dealt with a hernia, toe, hip, elbow, and finger problems in 2011. His injury history is a spotty one that would cause any team to have some concerns, but given Polanco’s age the concern becomes magnified. It doesn’t sound as though he’s going to miss significant time, but back concerns are easy to flare up again so it’s too tough to say this won’t be the last we’ll hear of this issues for Polanco.

Miami doesn’t have many internal options to cover third base should he miss a significant portion of time. Initially some of the at bats might be split between Nick Green, Greg Dobbs, and potentially even Chone Figgins as those three already project to be on the team’s 25-man roster. Other possibilities could include Zach Cox, Matt Downs, and Kevin Kouzmanoff.