The Florida Marlins have become known as an organization that just continues to win without breaking the bank for any player. Well that has now changed, somewhat, after the Marlins and SS Hanley Ramirez agreed to a six year, $70 million contract extension. For a team that tends to let their top talent go year after year, it is surprising to see them actually put up the money for anyone. Fortunately for them, they have put their money down on a great talent in Ramirez.

As one of the top shortstops in all of baseball, Ramirez is a complete player. He can hit for average, power, and has great speed on the basepaths. Currently he is hitting .336 with eight HRs, 31 runs, 21 RBIs and 13 SBs. In just his third season, Ramirez has a career .314 average and has hit 54 HRs, driven in 161 run and stolen 115 bases. Those are solid numbers and very much worth the bargain price the Marlins paid for him.

While the $70 million price tag may seem reasonably low for a player the caliber of Ramirez by today's standards in MLB, it is actually the biggest contract in Marlins' history. With the team's track record for catching and releasing players, that's not all that surprising really. They've let great players like Gary Sheffield, Moises Alou, Carlos Delgado, Paul LoDuca, Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, Brad Penny, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, Dontrelle Willis, and Miguel Cabrera go and be signed by other teams. Yet that didn't stop them from winning two World Series championships in the last several seasons. Ramirez actually came to the Marlins in a trade with the Red Sox a few years ago that sent Lowell and Beckett away.

The signing of Ramirez is a smart move by the Marlins front office. The future of the team lies with Ramirez and what the team is able put around him now that they've blown their budget on one player. Does this signing mean there's a change taking place in the organization? That they're going to actually start paying and keeping their young talent? Doubtful, but Ramirez is definitely one worth holding onto for years to come.

Baseball is always full of surprises, and thus far the 2008 season has been no different. Here's a quick look at some of the teams that have surprised me most.

St. Louis Cardinals (22-15)
The Cardinals were another team that was supposed to be rebuilding in '08, but six weeks into the season they find themselves in a familiar position, atop the NL Central. Albert Pujols is doing his normal damage (.349, 7 HR, 25 RBI), but nobody expected youngster Ryan Ludwick to have already hit 7 HRs and drive in 21 RBIs while batting .347. Former pitcher Rick Ankiel continues to succeed in his transition to an everyday outfielder and the makeshift staff of Branden Looper, Kyle Loshe, Adam Wainwright, Todd Wellemeyer, and Joel Piniero has combined for a 16-8 record.

Florida Marlins (21-14)
Quick, how many Marlins can you name? Exactly, this team is seven games over .500 in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. The organization just rewarded Hanley Ramirez with a $70 million contract. The team has five guys in the lineup with 5+ home runs, including Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Josh Willingham, Dan Uggla, and Jorge Cantu. Outfielder Jeremy Hermida hasn't found his power stroke, but is clearly turning the corner and beginning to live up to the hype. The no-name pitching staff, has been led by Mark Hendrickson, who is sporting a 5-1 record with a 3.56 ERA.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays (19-16)
I knew they had good young talent, but they may still be a year away. Someone forgot to tell the Rays though they entered Saturday just 2.5 games back of the Red Sox and two games ahead of the Yankees. They have gotten very little from ace Scott Kazmir, but James Shields and Andy Sonnastine have combined for nine wins and new closer Troy Percival has been nearly perfect, converting 7 of 8 saves. If youngster Evan Longoria develops quickly and BJ Upton and Carl Crawford continue to hit the ball, the Rays are going to hang around all summer long.

Detroit Tigers (16-21)
The Tigers were my World Series pick entering the season. After a horrific start the team has rebounded a bit, but there is little room for error in the AL Central where 3.5 games separates first from worst. The bullpen is a wreck and the rotation has been inconsistent. Curtis Granderson missed most of April and has been slow to get his bat going and despite his decent power numbers newcomer Miguel Cabrera is batting .252.  The team has a whole is only batting .265 and misses a productive Gary Sheffield (.204, 2 HR, 7 RBIs) in the middle of the line-up.

Cincinnati Reds (14-22)
I may have been a bit overboard to pick the Reds to win the NL Central, but you can't call me a homer for thinking the team would stay in the hunt longer than 2007.  Somehow though the Reds have once again managed to lose fans interest by Mother's Day.  You would think that a new manager, a $46 million closer, and two of the best young arms injected in to the rotation in decades would have been enough to keep this team afloat in a weak division. You can't win a division in April, but the Reds continue to provide annual examples that you can lose one during the opening month.