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3 Floridians Glad To Be Joining Marlins

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — Imagine growing up a huge Marlins fan. Then imagine making it to the Major Leagues. Finally, imagine getting signed or traded to live in your home state – bringing everything full circle. Well that just happened for three players the Marlins picked up this off-season.

The Marlins held a celebratory news conference Friday to welcome the newcomers.

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New teammates Mat Latos and Michael Morse are South Florida natives who grew up Marlins fans, and they've joined their favorite team as a result of deals last week.

"I'm a die-hard Marlins fan, born and raised here. To be able to play with a team I've grown up to see is a dream come true," said Morse.

Latos added, "To play in my home town and get a nice tan in the process too, I can't complain about that."

The Marlins also acquired Dee Gordon, a Central Florida native who attended games in Miami as a youngster when his father, former major leaguer Tom Gordon, pitched against the Marlins.

"Their committed to winning now and this organization is on the rise once again," said Morse.

"We wanted to build a team that was slump proof something that showed up every days," said Mike Hill, president of baseball operations for the Marlins. "In previous years you may have seen it try to be a splash factor or something like this – our goal is sustainable winning."

The Marlins did just that after the introductory session. The busy front office added two more players, acquiring infielder Martin Prado and right-handed pitcher David Phelps from the New York Yankees for right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, first-baseman Garrett Jones and minor league right-handed pitcher Domingo German.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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