Nolasco begins spring training as Marlins ace

He'll make $11.5 million in 2013, about one-quarter of the payroll. Because of the Marlins have returned to their tightfisted ways after a brief flurry of spending, and because Nolasco's contract expires after this year, he might well be dealt during the season to a contending team.

That would be fine with Nolasco. The right-hander was so upset by the Marlins' downsizing that he asked in December to be traded.

He now declines to discuss last offseason, saying he's focused on the future.

"Every year you want to go out there and do more and set your goals really high," Nolasco said. "This year is no different, whether it's the last year of my contract or not. I'm just trying to have a good year. I'm not thinking about any trades. I'm just going start by start, and want to help as much as I can."

The Marlins have decided they can afford to keep Nolasco — for now. In fact, the pitching staff desperately needs his experience.

"We don't have anybody else like that," new manager Mike Redmond said. "His experience of going through the everyday grind of playing in the major leagues is huge. You need a guy like that.

"To have him at the top of our rotation, it's going to be big to have that stability. You know what you're going to get every time he goes out there. He's young, too, but after that we're really young."

The 30-year-old Nolasco has been a model of consistency, posting double-figure win totals each of the past five seasons. Last year he became the franchise leader in career victories, and he's 76-64 with an ERA of 4.49.