Jason Marquis

Marquis made seven starts with the Twins (8.47 ERA), before being designated for assignment, released on waivers, and signing with the Padres as a free agent. In San Diego, he made 15 starts and pitched better than he ever had before with a 4.04 ERA and 3.56 xFIP. This isn't saying much for someone with a career 4.60 ERA, but he did post a 2.82 K/BB ratio, the highest of his career. This elevation in his command is possibly the result of an increased usage of his slider, a pitch he has always had, but never used over 30 percent of the time as he did with the Padres. It's doubtful that this change turns Marquis' career around, but it's worth thinking about when others dismiss him because of his poor track history. He re-signed with the Padres in December, and figures to chew up innings at least until the team's younger starters are ready to take over a larger share of the starting rotation.

Marquis posted his highest strikeout rate (5.2 K/9IP) since 2004 and was acquired by Arizona to provide a steady option in the back of the rotation at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, he made just three starts before a fractured tibia ended his season in August. Marquis should be close to 100 percent for the start of spring training and he should begin the season as the No. 4 or No. 5 starter for Minnesota after signing a one-year deal. While he has a low strikeout rate and his overall ERA was poor last season, he did continue to generate groundballs (55 percent of batted balls last year) and he could be helped by moving to spacious Target Field.

No one really should have expected Marquis to repeat his 2009 numbers, but 2010 was an unmitigated disaster for the Nationals' big free-agent signing. His early-season struggles proved to be due to elbow trouble, however, and he pitched more like the Jason Marquis of the previous three seasons over his final 10 starts after he returned to the mound (4.29 ERA, 1.510 WHIP, 28:18 K:BB ratio). Given how much they're paying him, Washington will plug him back into their rotation to begin 2011, and he might yet prove to be a decent innings sponge for the club, but don't expect anything more.

Marquis became a groundball machine for the Rockies last season (2.04 G/F), improving his home-run rate to a career-best 0.63 HR/9IP and racking up 216 innings in the back of the Colorado rotation. In 4x4 leagues, Marquis may have been a difference maker on plenty of rosters, but his strikeout rate continues to hover near the league's worst (4.79 K/9IP) and makes him far too risky in most 5x5 leagues. Looking forward, his career 4.83 FIP should serve as a reminder that he's more likely to win 11 or 12 games in 2010 than to win another 15 - especially now that he's signed with the Nationals. Last season looks like a perfect storm, so don't be the one to overpay for him at the draft table.

Mercifully, Marquis is in the final season of his three-year, $21 million deal - a contract large enough that the Cubs felt obligated to trot him out every fifth day. Marquis' peripherals are poor, but he does keep the ball on the ground (and in the park) and he has a career .288 BABIP - which probably explains why his ERA usually isn't too much worse than the league average. He'll be in the mix for a starting gig this spring after being traded to Colorado, but the move to Coors field won't help his fantasy value.

For a guy who doesn't strike out enough batters and walks far too many, Marquis sure gets a lot of wins every year. But run support, durability, a slightly lucky batting-average-against on balls in play and the ability to keep the ball on the ground can go a long way toward masking a dangerous skill set. For Marquis, the groundballs (1.54 G/F ratio in '07) are crucial -- his 22 home runs allowed last year in 192 innings helped him rebound from a dreadful '06. But we'd steer clear of the Cubs' No. 4 starter. His upside is limited, and the downside is scary.

Marquis somehow won 14 games last year despite being one of the worst starters in the league. His 6.02 ERA was last in the National League among qualifiers and his 96:75 K:BB was second-worst. Marquis had been able to get by with poor K:BB numbers before, but the Cardinals completely lost faith in him down the stretch and didn’t even place him on their NLCS or World Series rosters. Naturally, the Cubs saw the win total and gave him a three-year, $20 million contract in December. He’s still just 28, so the Cubs are hoping that Marquis can turn things around.

Marquis was wildly inconsistent in 2005. At one point he lost seven consecutive starts and then followed it up with a 40-inning stretch during which he gave up only six earned runs. When he's on, he gets a ton of groundballs with a hard-diving sinker. When he's off, he walks a lot of batters and leaves the ball up and over the heart of the plate. He's only 27 and should be entering his prime, but he certainly needs to improve upon his consistency.

Marquis came over to the Cardinals in the J.D. Drew trade and became the team's No. 2 starter. A two-seam fastball and a diving sinker are key for the 26-year old, and he'll look for more consistency from those pitches in 2005. He walked five batters four times, including a loss in game four of the World Series. He struggled late in the season, increasing his ERA from 3.44 to 3.71 over his final five starts. That may be easily explained by a career-high 201 innings pitched.

Marquis will likely win a job in the Cardinals rotation this spring, but the jury is out on the former hot prospect. For the second year in a row, Marquis struggled in the majors while putting up solid stats at Triple-A Richmond. The Braves coaching staff seemed to lose confidence in him, but he still showed good command in the minors and even allowed fewer home runs. Be prepared to grab him if he's given a shot again and shows he's turned the corner this spring.

Marquis was thought to be the pitcher to shore up the Braves' rotation as the #3 or #4 pitcher. But Marquis struggled and fell to a 5th starter role. He posted a 6.97 ERA after the All-Star break and was left off the postseason roster. He'll need to cut down his walks and home runs allowed in order to turn things around. Heading into to spring, depending on whom the Braves sign, he could be fighting to keep a role in the rotation.