Carlos Marmol

We're less than a month away from when pitchers and catchers report to spring training, so it's time to assess what the Miami Marlins need and who is still out there to be had.

But before we begin, let's check the Marlins shopping list and see if there's anything the Marlins forgot to buy.

Carlos Marmol was a big distraction for the Chicago Cubs before being demoted Tuesday.

Carlos Marmol has finally worn out his welcome with the Chicago Cubs. The organization announced on Twitter that the relief pitcher has been designated for assignment: 

UPDATE: Tuesday, June 25, at 5:21 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Last week, two of my three “Buy Low” picks, Carlos Gomez (10-for-18, HR, 3B in last week) and Homer Bailey (8 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 10 K in last start), came through while the third, Ike Davis, finally broke out on Friday with a two-homer game.

It's pretty clear that the Chicago Cubs have bullpen issues. For the third-straight outing, closer Carlos Marmol struggled in relief and the Cubbies lost a heartbreaker, 6-5, to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.

Despite leading 5-1 heading into the last two innings, the Cubs bullpen imploded to give this one away. The collapse culminated in home runs off the bats of B.J. and Justin Upton in the bottom of the ninth.

Carlos Marmol’s 2011 campaign was a disaster. His 2012 season was equally awful.

Why would the Cubs stick with Marmol as their closer?

Last week I wrote about my hope for the 2011 Cubs. For the first time in a long time, I look at the Cubs organization and see reasons to be optimistic about their short and long-term future.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Carlos Marmol had one of the most mind-boggling seasons in 2010, among any position.

Carlos Marmol brings an exceptional strikeout rate to the closers role.  There is no arguing that fact, but that shouldn’t cause us to overlook the warts that do come with selecting him. 

Can he be one of the elite closers in the game in 2011?  Absolutely, but there is also the chance that he completely falls flat.  Which will it be?  Let’s start by taking a look at his 2010 performance:

As fantasy baseball drafts quickly approach, I thought it would be helpful to provide a quick reference cheat sheet for closers. Remember, don't take a closer too early as there is value to be had late in drafts.

NL East