Watch out, NL East: The Miami Marlins, in the first flush of their new logo, name, ballpark, and absurd home run sign, are about to begin another Sign A Bunch of Free Agents, Win The World Series, And Blow Things Up cycle, their third in franchise history. St. Louis Cardinals fans are advised to watch out while they're at it—Albert Pujols is one of a number incredibly expensive free agent options the Marlins are considering. It might make more sense for them than anybody else—after all, they only plan on paying the first few years of the contract, anyway.
It sounds ridiculous at first, but I believe it—the Marlins have a great young core, by which I mean Hanley Ramirez, Mike Stanton, and Josh Johnson every so often, they're moving into a new ballpark, and they're embracing their Miami identity, which means, in addition to garish signage and intense tackiness, a greater focus on their Latin-American fanbase. With a 2011 payroll of $85 million they have exactly enough room to go nuts on one free agent, and Pujols at least makes more sense than Jose Reyes, the other set of tires they've been kicking.
Also, here's a gratuitous picture of what it would look like if Albert Pujols hit a home run for the Miami Marlins:
