Miami Marlins To Wine And Dine C.J. Wilson On Monday

The Miami Marlins have already tried wooing free agents Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, and Mark Buehrle, so why not bring in a guy who many consider the best pitching free agent on the market?

According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel, the Marlins will host free agent pitcher C.J. Wilson on Monday. The Marlins will try to wow Wilson with a tour of South Florida and of their new stadium.

It's pretty clear the Marlins want to upgrade their starting rotation in 2012. The Marlins' starting pitchers ranked in the middle of the pack last year with a 12.5 WAR and while they already acquired Wade LeBlanc from the San Diego Padres, he isn't going to cut the mustard. Chris Volstad is also currently penciled in as a starter, but he seems like a non-tender candidate as he had a 4.89 ERA in 165.2 innings last year.

Assuming Volstad gets non-tendered, that leaves a spot open in the Marlins' rotation for either Buehrle of Wilson. I personally think the Marlins have a better shot at signing Buehrle than they do Wilson. Wilson, who is from Newport Beach (I was just there and let me just say it's the cougar capital of the US. Just saying), is being courted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and I think he signs with them or re-signs with the Texas Rangers.

However, if the Marlins lose out on Wilson, it might be a blessing in disguise. I have long said that Buehrle is the better long-term option and the Marlins would be wise to save the money and sign Buehrle and then use those extra funds to put towards Reyes or Pujols.