Giancarlo Stanton has become the face of the Marlins franchise. (Getty)
Giancarlo Stanton has become the face of the Marlins franchise. (Getty Images)

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Marlins and superstar Giancarlo Stanton spent the winter preparing for what folks around here see as a key season in South Florida, the first one after The Beanball and The Contract. And also the first after a very rare but not quite unprecedented acquisition spree for the usually low-spending organization.

Although the Marlins didn't land top free-agent target James Shields or extra bullpen piece Francisco Rodriguez as they hoped, they did manage to acquire quite a haul: two veteran starting pitchers, a big bopper, a versatile everyday player, a legendary veteran outfielder and an exciting young table setter. They did all that while somehow keeping things well within small-to-mid-market monetary reason, at around $75 million, deducting the generous contributions from their richer rivals, the Dodgers and Yankees.

Stanton's own record new deal was for five times that, at $325 million, but as is his nature, he seems even more pleased by all the improvements. Let's not forget, Stanton took an oddly low $6.5-million salary this year, exactly no raise off a breakout season, which makes him no less than the seventh highest paid Marlins player ($150,000 behind reliever Steve Cishek). He did that for the sole purpose of helping the front office surround him with significant talent and give them a chance to compete, at least for a wild card.

Marlins bigwigs kept him fairly apprised of the moves throughout the winter, and when all was said and signed, he gave them a much-appreciated thumbs up.

"I like it, man," Stanton said the other day in camp.

"I love all the new additions. "They’re great guys. We've been vibing well, and I'm looking forward to getting going."

While new starters Mat Latos and Dan Haren, slugger Michael Morse, third baseman Martin Prado, second baseman Dee Gordon and even the legendary 41-year-old Ichiro bring renewed optimism to a young team that gelled well early last year, before young pitching superstar Jose Fernandez went down with a torn elbow ligament and Stanton, very likely the best position player in the National League last year (it was either he or Andrew McCutchen), was felled by an ugly beanball to the face.

That pitch alone quickly and sadly killed what had been a very nice second season under enthusiastic, well-liked second-year manager Mike Redmond, as the young club showed early they could be relevant, and even better than that impressed with staying power that carried until the moment Milwaukee’s Mike Fiers fired that misguided missile.

The errant mid-September pitch that halted any slim long-shot playoff hope and ended Stanton’s brilliant season -- he still led the league in home runs (37), total bases (299) IBBs (24) and slugging percentage (.555) -- quite obviously didn't diminish the organization's belief in Stanton, aided last year by a talented but almost exclusively youthful core group that includes outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich, starter Henderson Alvarez, Cishek and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, most of whom rebuffed organizational efforts to lock them up.

The Marlins' active winter wasn't exactly the first time for them, so they know trades and signings come without guarantees for the team, even Stanton's included. This actually wasn't nearly as wild as three winters ago, when they spent money like nuts, bringing in Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell and manager Ozzie Guillen, creating a stale stew they quickly and correctly abandoned.

The surprise 13-year contract for Stanton was unprecedented for any team, in both length and total dollars. However, the Marlins simply couldn't chance losing their everyday mega star, whose talent, dedication and makeup are irrefutable.

Stanton was two years removed from the sell-off that deeply hurt him, two years away from free agency and a just-turned 25, so this was the sweet spot to strike. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria,the art dealer  who watched and admired George Steinbrenner up close in New York before getting his own team, understood the value of an everyday superstar. Giancarlo is his kinder, gentler Reggie.

Stanton actually is a very upbeat, optimistic sort who never showed any upset beyond one pointed tweet three winters ago, when the Marlins' selloff became complete with the trade of Reyes and Buehrle to Toronto.

While the seemingly egoless Stanton isn't one who claims to stir the drink or demands or needs the attention, the Marlins understand their investment; his deal, assuming he plays it out in South Florida (he has an out after six years and $107 million) cost more than the franchise price. He is their guy. Loria flew Stanton by private plane to Litchfield, Ill., outside St. Louis, to visit with Schutt Sports, which normally outfits football players and was the place to hook him up with his very own custom mask, which looks even bigger than the one used on the gridiron.

And if others wonder how that pitch from Fiers might affect Stanton's mindset at bat, Stanton says he doesn't give it a thought. He is now protected with a specially deigned football-style face mask. (he is technically awaiting MLB's approval for it but what are the chances the league wants to trouble baseball's top young slugger at a time there are so few sluggers in the game?) Friends stress that the mask doesn't reflect any fear but is merely a precaution against recurrence.

As for him, Stanton says he doesn't give beanballs a thought besides the questions that come up from media. And the Marlins are obviously confident their investment won't go awry.

"We saw him get hit in the neck the first year Jose Fernandez was in camp by a 96 mph fastball from Fernandez, and we've seen the kid bounce back from that," Marlins general manager Dan Jennings said. "Is it potentially detrimental? Absolutely. But after witnessing that, we were very comfortable [with the contract]."

As it happened, and one spring practice at-bat is nothing to set off alarm bells, but Stanton didn't look too comfortable in the box on the back fields facing the tough Cishek, whose three-quarters delivery is difficult on right-handers, especially this early in camp. Stanton winced when he waved at an outside and low breaking ball, though this was nothing more the case of one at-bat and a pitcher being ahead of a hitter before even one spring game.

Stanton as always is working on things, and he’s smart about it. He was a football player first, more evidence he doesn't fear contact (the Los Angeleno turned down a USC receiver scholarship the first time he signed with the Marlins, out of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High). In any case, he is a very late starter in baseball.

He was asked if he could do even more than he did last year, when he finished first among position players in MVP voting and second behind Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, and he quickly and appropriately answered, "I could have done two and a half weeks more."

Upon being felled by the pitch from Fiers, Stanton declared that he hoped to be back before the season was up, and he said the other day, he would have had he had "a little longer than that."

Stanton has his priorities in order, and he deferred purchase of any extras to take care of what's important: namely, his face. Though not everything has come out yet, he had facial surgery inside and out, meaning structural procedures and plastic ones. He also had extensive and necessary dental work done, without comment or complaint. The result is he retained his model looks, though it may take a few at-bats and some inside pitched to prove to everyone else his head is the same, too.

Stanton's representatives at Wasserman, including his lead agent Joel Wolfe, didn't take long to work out the record deal with Miami, giving him the biggest contract in North American sports history while backloading it enough to make even the small-market Marlins comfortable. He has an opt-out after six years and $107 million, which benefits him with the choice whether to leave when he's 31 if all the Marlins' plans don't work, but it may also obligate Miami to only about one-third of the total payout.

In the meantime, Stanton is celebrating the pickups that surround him. Latos and Haren bring certainty to a young pitching staff, though word is they badly wanted Shields, offering in the neighborhood of $50 million over three years plus a vesting option and the chance to reconnect with Jennings (who happened to draft him for Tampa Bay) and pitching coach Chuck Hernandez (who provided important early pitching guidance in Tampa). But they were unable to overcome a $75-million, four-year Padres bid that also gave Shields a chance to pitch at home; he moved two years ago from the Tampa area to picturesque Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)

They also offered K-Rod $10 million over two years for a chance to augment a bullpen. They’ve considered others but are very cognizant of makeup.

"He's part of a puzzle of 25 to 40 guys … well, he's a big part of it," Jennings said of Stanton. "We were very pleased with the quality of guys we brought in."

The everyday additions may be key, and while they raised their payroll quite a bit from the $45 million it was to start last season (it was $65 million by the end), they managed to do it without breaking the bank (a key is that the Dodgers are paying Haren’s full $10-million salary and Gordon’s $2.5 million, and the Yankees are chipping in $3 million toward Prado's $11 million salary). Prado is under-rated and very useful, the locally-raised Morse (a Fort Lauderdale product) is a needed second big bat and Gordon, oddly discarded immediately by a new Dodgers regime, adds speed, a flair and excitement.

"We got solid guys," Stanton said. "We’ll see how we work together in spring. I think we'll be fine." Wolfe says he believes Stanton's in the best frame of mind at any point in his eventful young career.

Things are awfully encouraging in Miami, thanks to new additions, a new contract, a face guard and especially a superstar who is ready to roll.

"We're in a good spot," he said.