Florida Marlins sign Jay Gibbons

As Jrsyeagle reported in yesterday's Chum Bucket, the Marlins have signed Jay Gibbons to a minor league contract.

Gibbons, who turns 32 in March, played his first seven years in the Major Leagues with the Orioles, hitting 20-plus homers in three of those seasons, but hasn't appeared in a big league game since Aug. 12, 2007.

After an '07 campaign mired by injuries and a Sports Illustrated report linking him to human-growth hormone -- which he admitted to and was suspended 15 games for -- Gibbons was released by the Orioles just days before Opening Day 2008. The previous year, he appeared in just 84 games, batting a career-low .230 with six home runs and 28 RBIs.

After no club signed him, the lefty hitter joined the independent Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks for about a month before signing a Minor League contract with the Brewers. While in Milwaukee's farm system, he hit .308 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 34 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Gibbons played in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason, where he hit .285 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 36 games.

Gibbons received an invitation to take part in the Marlins spring training camp.

Gibbons will probably end camp and be assigned to New Orleans where he will be nothing more than an outfield insurance policy should something go horribly wrong.

I suppose it is in the realm of possibilities that he could end up on the team when camp breaks, but I sincerely doubt it.  Of course, stranger things have happened.