Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports on two veteran signings by the Miami Marlins.

6' 11" journeyman Jon Rauch has signed a 1-year $1 million dollar contract.  The behemoth reliever toiled for the New York Mets last season.  The 34-year old appeared in 73 games, and posted a very respectable 0.988 WHIP in the process.  A balky elbow, however, kept his innings count down to 57, and often necessitated days off between appearances. Despite his size, Rauch is not considered an overpowering thrower. The Marlins stand to be his seventh big league club.  The Louisville, Kentucky native has been used as both a closer and a setup reliever.  He has 62 career saves, collecting a career high 21 with the 2010 Minnesota Twins.



Chone Figgins, 35 and not too long ago considered one of the peskiest leadoff hitters in the American League, has been signed to a minor league deal, which includes and invitation to Major League camp.
Figgins will be in a competitive mix, as the Marlins stand to bring some 74 players to spring training, in hope of finding a lightning storm in the proverbial bottle... Figgins career began with the Angels.  His batting average, along with his ability to draw walks (league leading 101 in 2009) and steal bases (led league with 62 in 2005) made him a catalyst on a team that reached post season play six times in his eight seasons there.
After an All-Star season in 2009, he left Anaheim as a free agent for the Mariners. Figgins struggled from the day he arrived in Seattle, never coming close to duplicating his earlier work.  The M's finally released the switch-hitter in November, following his second consecutive sub-.200 BA season.  Figgins is owed $8 million by Seattle if he catches on in Miami or not.

MLB.com reports that 25 year-old Logan Morrison, somehow an elder statesman on the team, is still recovering from surgery performed on his right knee that initially held him out from late July through the end of the season. The patellar injury that he suffered the previous year had bothered him for much of the 2012.
Morrison is scheduled to be examined on Feb. 19 to determine when he can run and swing a bat.

After a short (62 games) rookie season in 2010 that saw the lefty swinger hit .283 with a fine .837 OPS, his numbers have dropped steadily in the two years since.   He did flash some power in 2011, homering 23 times, but the Marlins new stadium is proving less friendly to the hitters.   Still, the Marlin brass is hoping that with healthy legs Morrison can recapture the form he showed early.  Their faith is strong enough that he is penciled in as number one first sacker on their official depth chart.






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