MIAMI -- Perhaps a different vantage point will bring out the natural talent so many in the game have seen in Jeremy Hermida from the time he was a first-round Draft pick in 2002.

Set to turn 25 on Friday, Hermida last week avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $2.25 million deal, which could enable him to collect another $50,000 in incentives.

With his contract status resolved, Hermida is preparing for Spring Training with the understanding that he will likely switch positions. In a move management feels will help the club defensively, the team is set to use Hermida in left field and Cody Ross in right field.

Hermida has been Florida's regular right fielder since 2006. Last year, he appeared in 132 games in right and didn't see action anywhere else in the outfield.

Wherever the team wants him to play, Hermida is agreeable.

"This a big year; I'm looking forward to it," Hermida said in a recent telephone conversation. "With the new position thing, I've always been open to do whatever to make the team a better team. If they feel like that is what it is, then I'll give it a whirl in Spring Training. I'm open to try whatever they want me to do."

The last time Hermida played anywhere but right field at the big league level was during his rookie season. In 2006, he made nine appearances in center field.

As a late-season callup in 2005, Hermida played in four games in left field.

After ranking near the bottom in total defense the past few seasons, manager Fredi Gonzalez is exploring how best to utilize his still comparatively young roster.

Hermida had a .982 fielding percentage in 2008, which was an improvement over a tough '07, when he fielded at a .966 clip. Ross, meanwhile, made just one error last season, and he is a Gold Glove-capable defensive player.

Speedster Cameron Maybin will head into Spring Training as the starting center fielder, completing the projected outfield.

As much as the Marlins are focusing on getting the most out of Hermida defensively, they also are hopeful his offense picks up.

When Hermida was in Double-A in 2005, one American League scout said that his swing was as good as any prospect he's seen in a long time. Yet, Hermida struggled in '08, and that textbook left-handed swing developed some flaws.

In 2007, Hermida showed terrific promise by batting .296 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs. But his numbers slid last year to .249 with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs.

One of the more glaring problems with the swing was a helicopter-type twirl at the end when he swung and missed.

This offseason, at his home in Marietta, Ga., Hermida's been working out and refining his swing.

"I'm tweaking some stuff a little bit," Hermida said. "I'm trying to get the swing back to spurts where it was last year and the year before. It's little things. I'm going over some things, going over some video."

The off time is giving him a chance to reenergize and reexamine his hitting approach. Sometimes over the course of a long season, a minor glitch tends to create other issues at the plate. Before the player knows it, he has a completely different swing.

At the Winter Meetings in December, Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest noted that many in the organization believe Hermida can blossom into a high-quality player. He's still young, and even though Florida explored trade possibilities for Hermida this offseason, the club sees natural talent in the outfielder.

"We think he can do better than he did," Beinfest said at the Winter Meetings. "He still hit 17 home runs. It's there. Everybody is confident that it's there. It just needs to happen and happen more consistently. He's still a young guy. Everybody adjusts to timetables a little differently."