Joe Nelson was the only Marlins arbitration-eligible player to be non-tendered.
...the Marlins announced that they didn't tender a contract to reliever Joe Nelson, who now becomes a free agent. Florida did extend tenders to a number of its core players, including Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, Jeremy Hermida, Cody Ross and Alfredo Amezaga. Reliever Logan Kensing and third baseman Dallas McPherson also were tendered. Nelson appeared in 59 games for Florida this past season, and he was 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 54 innings. The right-hander was a reliable option in the late innings. Don't ask me to justify this -- I can't. It wasn't like Nelson was asking for that much (~$800,000) after an excellent season pitching out of the pen. There may be many reasons why the two couldn't come to terms, but at first glance: it makes the Marlins look like one really cheap team who couldn't care less about the product on the field. As it stands right now, the 2008 bullpen members who have been either traded or let go are: Kevin Gregg, Joe Nelson, Doug Waechter, Arthur Rhodes and Justin Miller. So much for that crap about the Marlins being able to afford all of the arbitration-eligible players. Nelson will catch on with another team and may even get more money than he was asking for in arbitration. Good luck Joe!