Rising Marlins make most of trip to swap meet

The Marlins solidified second base with the addition of Dee Gordon from the Dodgers. They also added two experienced right-handers, Mat Latos (formerly with the Reds) and Dan Haren (part of the Gordon trade).

Redmond talks about Marlins trading for Gordon, Haren

Marlins manager Mike Redmond talks about the club acquiring Dee Gordon and Dan Haren in a trade with the Dodgers

"We came into the Winter Meetings with a plan and had a good feel for what our club was and what our club needed," president of baseball operations Michael Hill said.

Miami dramatically upgraded team speed with Gordon, and Latos is a proven top-of-the-rotation right-hander. The two additions signal to the rest of the NL that the Marlins are serious about being in the postseason race.

A bold seven-player trade pulled off on Wednesday energized the Meetings for Miami. Gordon, an All-Star second baseman, was acquired along with Haren and infielder Miguel Rojas from the Dodgers for Andrew Heaney, Enrique Hernandez, Chris Hatcher and Austin Barnes.

The price to bring in Gordon was steep, but the team felt it was necessary to turn a weakness into a strength. Last year, Miami stole just 58 bases as a team. Gordon, meanwhile, paced the Majors with 64 steals.

Gordon takes over at second base, and he slides into the leadoff spot ahead of Christian Yelich, who led off in 2014. They will be the tablesetters for No. 3 hitter Giancarlo Stanton.

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Rising Marlins make most of trip to swap meet