JUPITER, Fla. — The Phillies have won five straight National League East titles, but that doesn’t automatically make them the favorites to capture the division.

With all the upgrades the Marlins have made, veteran Greg Dobbs believes Miami belongs in the conversation.

“On any given day, any team is the team to beat,” Dobbs said. “I’m not going to say the Phillies are the team to beat. I’m not going to say the Braves are the team to beat. It’s a whole new slate. A lot of things can happen over the course of 162 games, we’ve seen that.”

Dobbs arrived at Marlins camp on Saturday morning, the day before full-squad workouts begin at Roger Dean Stadium.

A year ago, the veteran made the Marlins as a non-roster invitee as a left-handed bat off the bench. Injuries occurred, and he saw considerable time at third base.

Dobbs was a free agent in the offseason, but he opted to return, signing a two-year, $3 million contract.

In 2008, Dobbs was on the Phillies’ World Series title team.

Based on the moves the Marlins made this offseason, he is raising the expectation level in Miami.

“I think we’re the team to beat,” Dobbs said. “I want us to be the team to beat, quite honestly. There isn’t any reason we can’t be that team. With the talent and the character and the personality in this clubhouse, I don’t see why not.”

– Joe Frisaro

JUPITER, Fla. – A special Spring Training moment occurred in a spontanious way on Friday morning on field six at Roger Dean Stadium.

After Hanley Ramirez, Gaby Sanchez, Logan Morrison and Chris Coghlan, finished up their round of batting practice, hitting coach Eduardo Perez invited a couple of dozen children onto the field to help pick up the balls by the outfield fence.

The children hustled to the outfield, joined by the players. They collected all the baseballs, placing them into buckets.

The children had been watching the round of batting practice from behind the fences, and the invitation onto the field was a special treat.

Once the baseballs were all put away, a number of children asked for autographs from the players. When Ramirez finished signing, he carried a small child from the outfield back to his parents.

– Joe Frisaro

JUPITER, Fla. — News that Ryan Braun’s 50-game suspension was overturned was a relief to Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez.

Sanchez, a former University of Miami teammate of Braun, has long been a close friend of the 2011 National League MVP.

For months, the two have stayed in close contact, either through text messages or phone calls. On Thursday, Braun become the first player to win an appeal, and he is cleared to play on Opening Day for the Brewers.

Sanchez reached out to Braun through a text message on Thursday, and the two spoke on the phone a few days ago.

“If there was guilt, he’d be guilty,” Sanchez said. “There is just so many things that go on in a case, when you actually see it and you actually talk to somebody who is there. I talk to him about everything. I talk to him about a lot of things. And there are just a lot of things that didn’t make sense. He got off. He was proven innocent. That’s all we can say.”

Sanchez paid particularly close attention to Braun’s case because of their friendship.

“We’ve been best friends for 10 years now,” Sanchez said. “It’s a lot different when you’re talking about those situations, knowing somebody that well, and knowing what kind of person he is, and what kind of personality he is. And knowing, he never had to lie. From the very beginning, he told me, ‘I didn’t do anything.’ So you kind of pull for him.

“I believe him 100 percent when he told me that he didn’t do it. … There is no reason for you to have to lie to me. I felt like it was great news yesterday, when it came out that he was innocent and able to play.”

– Joe Frisaro

JUPITER, Fla. — Much has been made over how Hanley Ramirez will handle third base along side Jose Reyes.

Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen doesn’t see many problems of the adjustments on the left-side of the infield. He is actually more concerned with how the double play combination of Reyes and Omar Infante will play out.

“I worry more about Jose and Infante, the shortstop and second baseman,” Guillen said. “I heard Jose tell Hanley, ‘Just make sure you guard the line, I got the rest.’ That’s nice to hear that. Hanley is a great athlete. I don’t think he’s going to have any problems moving out there.”

Some more observations from Thursday:

* Ozzie isn’t completely locked into batting Emilio Bonifacio second. The manager is keeping the door open for Infante to also hit in the two hole.

The manager is keeping his options open, so people will not be surprised if Infante is hitting second when the Grapefruit League games start.

* Speed promises to be a major part of the lineup. Reyes, Bonifacio and Ramirez are base stealing threats. Ozzie wants to see others in the lineup run, just to give other teams something to think about.

“I’m not going to say, Gaby Sanchez is going to steal 30 bases, but why not, 10?” Guillen said.

Guillen wants opposing teams to have something to think about.

Speed can used in ways other than stealing bases.

“Speed is like, going from first to third,” Guillen said. “Scoring from first base on a double.”

– Joe Frisaro  

JUPITER, Fla. — Excitement. Passion. Energy.

The qualities that made Jose Reyes a four-time All-Star with the Mets, he plans to offer to the Marlins.

Reyes, the Marlins’ top offseason acquisition, arrived at Spring Training on Thursday, three days before full-squad workouts are scheduled.

The 29-year-old is eager for his new beginning, after spending his entire career with the Mets.

“The same energy I had in New York, that’s the same energy I’m going to bring here,” Reyes said. “I’m the kind of guy who has a lot energy and a lot of passion for the game. I enjoy the game as much as I can. That’s something I’m going to bring here.”

In 2011, Reyes was the National League batting champion, hitting .337.

With the Marlins, he takes over at shortstop, allowing Hanley Ramirez to slide over to third base.

Ramirez and Reyes have spoken on several occasions in recent months, but not entirely on how they will get along on the left side of the Miami infield.

“When me and Hanley talk, we don’t talk about that situation,” Reyes said of Ramirez playing third. “We talk about other stuff, we don’t talk that. I know he’s happy. I saw him in the Dominican. I saw him last week. We’ve been talking most of the time. We’re good. We don’t have any problems.

“This is the first time I’m going to play with different guys. Hanley is moving to third base. Anything I can do for him, I’ll do.”

Reyes also expects to get along just fine with new manager Ozzie Guillen.

“It’s exciting for me to play for Ozzie,” the shortstop said. “He has a guy who has a lot of passion for the game. He enjoys the game too. He’s a [former] baseball player, that’s good too. He’s not afraid to talk. That’s good. When somebody does something wrong, he will let you know. That’s good. I don’t have any problems with that. We’re going to get along very well.”

– Joe Frisaro

JUPITER, Fla. — Working for a passionate owner is nothing new for Ozzie Guillen.

Guillen experienced it in Chicago with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. And he is in a similiar situation in Miami with Jeffrey Loria.

“My relationship with Jerry is still great,” Guillen said. “What can I say about Jerry, nothing. Jerry’s a great man.”

In Miami, Guillen is back with the Marlins, where he was their third base coach in 2002-03.

“Before, it was different,” Guillen said. “I was a coach and Jeffrey didn’t [care] about me. Jeffrey loves baseball. So does Jerry Reinsdorf.”

There is a downside, Guillen says, to working with an owner with a strong love for the game.

“Sometimes it’s not easy to work for people who own the team, and on top of that, they are baseball fans,” Guillen said. “It’s not easy because sometimes they think they know more than you, when you’re manager.”

Guillen jokes that the farther away people sit for the field, the less they know the game. He mentioned this to Loria, who quipped back, “I sit in the first row.”

Guillen countered, “but you don’t write the lineup card.”

Being questioned comes with territory for managers.

“It happens with everyone,” he said. “Even my wife second guesses me. I don’t care. I’m going to do the best I can to try to win the game.”

Worth noting:

* Reliever Edward Mujica talked four days ago to Juan Carlos Oviedo, who remains in the Dominican Republic until he is granted a visa. Oviedo is on the restricted list, and the Marlins are not sure when he will join them in Spring Training.

“I talked with him like four days ago,” Mujica said. “He’s in the Dominican. He’s waiting for his visa. We’ll see. He says the first week of March he might be going to the embassy and hopes he can get his visa.”

* Guillen spent part of the first workouts riding a golf cart to all the back fields at the Roger Dean Stadium complex. About all the ground he had to cover, he joked: “I didn’t think I needed an Easy Pass to get to these fields. I don’t know how [Jack] McKeon did it.”

* Hanley Ramirez trimmed down in the offseason, losing about eight pounds. He is down to a lean, 227. He credits it to eating right and working out properly.

* Steve Cishek has a chance to win a late-inning setup shot, while Wade LeBlanc is being considered for long relief. Because he has an option remaining, LeBlanc would be sent to Triple-A New Orleans if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster.

* A sleeper relief pitcher to keep an eye on is Evan Reed.

* Sean West, a first-round pick in 2005, is out of options. So the left-hander is in a situation of having to make the Opening Day roster or risk being lost by the organization.

* Full-squad workouts begin on Sunday, but there is a chance Jose Reyes will be at camp on Thursday.

* Workouts on Thursday are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. They are open to the public.

– Joe Frisaro

JUPITER, Fla. — Hanley Ramirez is healthy and ready to start Spring Training.

The one restriction the Marlins are placing on Ramirez is diving for balls at third base.

Otherwise, everything is full go for the 28-year-old third baseman, who is recovering from surgery to his left shoulder.

On Tuesday, the day before Marlins pitchers and catchers begin workouts at Roger Dean Stadium, Ramirez spent the morning and early part of the afternoon hitting and fielding.

Ramirez took ground balls at third base, while Omar Infante was at second.

The switch from shortstop to third base will be one of the most watched storylines for the Marlins in Spring Training.

Last week, Ramirez had a check-up visit with Dr. James Andrews, who performed the shoulder surgery last year.

“He’s cleared to go,” Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said. “He saw Dr. Andrews last week, before the [charity] golf tournament. We’re going to try to keep him from diving on the shoulder during Spring Training, just to minimize anything going on there. But he’s fully cleared to go. He says he feels well.”

The Marlins are being cautious about diving, to avoid any further issues with the shoulder. But the team expects him to be at full-speed once the season starts on April 4 against the Cardinals at Marlins Park.

“We’re going to try to keep him on his feet in Spring Training,” Beinfest said. “There is no reason for him to dive right now.”

– Joe Frisaro  

MIAMI — Passed at the finish line by A’s in their pursuit of Yeonis Cespedes, the Marlins now appear ready to stay the course with what they have as they prepare for the start of Spring Training.

Make no mistake, the Marlins were certainly hopeful of signing Cespedes. They were aware the A’s entered the race late, but liked their chances until the demands from Cespedes’ camp went from six to four years.

Oakland reached agreement on a four-year, $36 million deal on Monday, while the Marlins had a six-year, $36 million offer on the table.

The Marlins wanted the longer deal because, frankly, they didn’t believe Cespedes would be ready for Opening Day. In fact, Miami felt, the 26-year-old likely would have needed some time at Triple-A New Orleans.

Barring an injury, Cespedes wasn’t projected to unseat Emilio Bonifacio in center field for the April 4 opener against the Cardinals.

To the Marlins, paying Cespedes on average $9 million a year for four years didn’t make sense if some of that time was being spent on development.

Not landing Cespedes clearly is disappointing for the Marlins, but it isn’t devastating. Signing the Cuban-native didn’t make or break what’s already been a tremendous offseason.

Now that Cespedes is off the market, the Marlins are likely done from making any major moves before pitchers and catchers begin workouts on Feb. 22 at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.

Aaron Rowand and Austin Kearns will likely benefit the most without Cespedes in camp. The two non-roster invitees have big league experience, and Rowand can play center field.

Bryan Petersen, Scott Cousins and Chris Coghlan also will have a shot at making the club. But Coghlan’s health is a concern. The 2009 N.L. Rookie of the Year had his left knee scoped in November, and it’s the same knee that required surgery in 2010 for a torn meniscus.

In terms of veteran position player depth, don’t look for Miami to make a last-minute push for Ivan Rodriguez. The club feels Brett Hayes is deserving of the backup catcher role.

Once Spring Training begins, the Marlins may explore the market for more experienced pitching.

The team feels it has enough offense to contend. Big league-tested pitching, however, is something that is always in demand.

For now, what the Marlins have is likely what they will go with when Spring Training begins.

– Joe Frisaro

MIAMI — The Marlins position as frontrunner for Yeonis Cespedes appears to be getting stronger.

Miami is exchanging contract numbers with the 26-year-old Cuban outfielder.

And on Sunday, two National League sources believe the Cubs are not seriously in the mix for Cespedes.

The buzz in the industry is Chicago’s focus is on 19-year-old Cuban sensation, Jorge Soler, who has yet to be ruled a free agent. The figure the Cubs are believed to be willing to spend on Soler (according to two sources) is $27.5 million. The number of years is not known.

Sources indicate the Marlins are clearly the team most likely to sign Cespedes.

Miami appears willing to pay in the $30-35 million range for Cespedes. But they have not offered as much as $40 million for six years.

– Joe Frisaro

Hanley Ramirez hasn’t talked much publicly about his switch to third base. But the three-time All-Star shortstop did deliver an interesting message via an advertisement.

The Marlins veteran is the subject of a newly released Powerade commerical, which already is making the rounds on YouTube.

The TV commercial shows Ramirez on a baseball field, doing some drills, and signing a list of names with a marker on his bat.

Ramirez’s message is to those who have criticized him, especially on Twitter.

In Spanish, Ramirez says: “To all those who sent messages criticizing me, I want to apologize for not having replied yet. I was busy with this bat and this marker, writing your names. The response is on its way. Sincerely, Hanley Ramirez.”

Ramirez then is seen swinging the bat, with footage of him doing agility drills mixed in, and hitting a baseball very hard.

Ramirez takes a swig of Powerade, and the commercial ends with a shot of the bat full of names on the ground.

“One drink. One response. Power through,” is the final message of the commercial.

The past few weeks, Ramirez has been working out in the Dominican Republic, where he has been hitting and taking ground balls.

Recovering from his worst season and left shoulder surgery, Ramirez will be looking for a bounce back year.

– Joe Frisaro