It was December. Jorge Cantu was out of work and his phone wasn't ringing.
''I didn't know where my career was heading. I had no idea,'' Cantu said. 'I'm thinking, `Worse comes to worse, there's always Japan or China.' You've got to look for new horizons.''
Cantu, a 26-year-old infielder, was backpedaling. His career turned south after the 2005 season, when he socked 28 home runs and drove in 117 runs for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays gave up on him. The Cincinnati Reds left him to wander. He spent his days in a Texas gym, building muscle strength, and in the batting cages working on his swing.
And then the phone rang.
''Right before Christmas,'' Cantu recalled.
On Dec. 5, the Marlins pulled off the biggest trade of baseball's winter meetings in Nashville, dealing Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers for a half-dozen prospects. On Jan. 4, the Marlins rolled the dice on Cantu, adding him to their mix of candidates enlisted to replace Cabrera at third base.
Cantu not only won the job in spring training, but he also has convinced the Marlins that they made the right decision.
`A WORK IN PROGRESS'
With a .289 average and three home runs, Cantu hasn't erased images of Cabrera at the plate. And his fielding, as he noted, ``is a work in progress.''
But Cantu has helped dispel the sentiment of many that Cabrera's absence from the lineup would prove detrimental. So far, the Marlins are averaging 4.56 runs per game, down slightly from last season's final figure of 4.88 runs.
More significant, they are in first place in the National League East.
''I love this team,'' Cantu said Sunday in Milwaukee shortly before the Marlins won the series two games to one. ``This team hustles, day in and day out. Look at the way we're playing. We're in first place. Everything is rolling for us. It's a great feeling to be part of a winning team.''
Being part of any team, and contributing, has given Cantu renewed confidence.
When the Rays sent him to the minors last season, he started to doubt his abilities. His downfall began early in the 2006 season when he broke his foot, landing on the disabled list for six weeks. Cantu finished the season with 14 home runs and 62 RBI -- almost half his totals from the previous year.
By 2007, Cantu had fallen completely out of favor with the Rays. Ultimately, they sent him to the minors. Eventually, the team dealt him to Cincinnati, where he finished out the season before becoming a free agent.
''At one point, I doubted myself a little bit,'' Cantu said.
'I was thinking, `Man, am I really that bad?' ''
FAMILIAR FRIENDS
But when the Marlins began kicking around names of prospective third basemen after the Cabrera trade, Cantu's name came up immediately. General manager Mike Hill and assistant general manager Dan Jennings remembered Cantu from their days together in Tampa Bay's organization.
''We signed him when he was 16 years old,'' Hill said. ``In our situation, we wanted to bring in a guy we felt had some upside, who could do the job. We knew he had battled with some injuries.''
The Marlins also thought Cantu brought the proper chemistry and work ethic.
''We knew the person,'' Hill said. ``More than anything, we knew if he made our club, he was going to give us 110 percent, day in and day out -- and that's what he's done.''
Cantu competed for the third-base job with Jose Castillo and Dallas McPherson. The Marlins gave up on Castillo and sent McPherson to the minors because of his injuries.
Marlins reliever Doug Waechter, who played with Cantu in Tampa Bay, said the Cantu on the Marlins is the same player he remembers from 2005.
''It looks like he's pretty locked in right now,'' Waechter said. ``It seems like he's back now, and I'm happy to see it.''
Cantu was lost and bewildered six months ago. Now his career is back on track -- with the Marlins.
''These guys gave me the chance to be an everyday player again,'' he said. ``I came in with the idea of all or nothing -- win the job or not win the job. It turns out this is a good place to be.''
