The Miami Marlins, notorious for their history of fire sales, shocked the baseball world on Nov. 13 with a fire sale unparalleled by any other.

Owner Jeffrey Loria and President David Samson traded five of their highest-paid players to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The deal, which was made official by Major League Baseball last night, would send shortstop Jose Reyes, outfielder Emilio Bonafacio, catcher John Buck and starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle to the Blue Jays.

In return, the Marlins would receive shortstop Yunel Escobar, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, outfielder Jake Marisnick, catcher Jeff Mathis, pitchers Henderson Alvarez and Justin Nicolino and four million dollars.

The trade was not only unexpected because of the players involved but also due to the timing. Last offseason, the Marlins moved into a brand new stadium while also signing Reyes, Buehrle and former closer Heath Bell, giving the small-market team a $100 million dollar payroll. Loria promised that the new stadium, coupled with a commitment to spending money, would usher in a new era of Marlins baseball. .

Just one year later, the Marlins have abruptly shifted to a rebuilding project, tearing apart both their starting rotation and the heart of their lineup, in addition to trading away their free agent signings from 2011.

Along with Reyes, who was signed to a six-year deal for 106 million dollars, and Buehrle, a four-year deal for $58 million, the Marlins also traded away Johnson, signed through 2013 for almost $14 million, Buck signed for$ 6 million dollars in 2013, and Bonifacio made just $2.2 million last year.

The Marlins' latest salary dump not only guts the middle of their order, but with the new look, reduces their 2013 payroll from almost $100 million to around $30 million.
This decrease in payroll is not only unprecedented due to the money involved, but again, also in the timing.

The Marlins were supposed to be perennial contenders in the National League East. The squad boasted a formidable offense in Reyes and right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, while also featuring arguably one of the best rotations in the National League headlined by Johnson, Buehrle, and Anibal Sanchez. However, things did not go as planned, and the Marlins spent most of the year in the NL East cellar, prompting a deal with the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline to ship off Sanchez and second baseman Omar Infante.

Just three months later, after three large-scale trades, the Miami Marlins of 2012 and the Miami Marlins of 2013 will be two entirely different entities. .

Team management, over the course of one season, has decided that the Marlins should start over once more.

The Marlins, however, still have a foundation to build around next season. Along with Stanton and outfielder Logan Morrison, the squad also features a promising ace in Jacob Turner. In addition, Miami also acquired Escobar, a proven defensive shortstop along with Mathis, an All Star catcher, as well as the No. 2 and No. 5 prospects in the Blue Jays' farm system. The Marlins received two team-controlled players who displayed promise during their rookie campaigns last year and could prove to be All Stars in a few short years.

However, the city of Miami now has to deal with the prospect of another year in the cellar. If the Hot Stove was only on the backburner as of last week, it has certainly been set ablaze by the blockbuster trade between the Blue Jays and Marlins.