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.