Welcome to Miami, Nick Johnson.

The Marlins waited until the final minutes Friday to announce that they plan on making a push for the playoffs by acquiring the slugger from the Washington Nationals near the end of the 4 p.m. trade deadline. The Fish gave up minor league pitcher Aaron Thompson, according to MLB.com.

While the move is no Roy Halladay, Victor Martinez or Jake Peavy, it registers high on Marlins fans' Richter scale as a signal this team's management is in it for the long haul this season. Currently the Marlins are currently three games out of the Wildcard spot in the National League and winning the division isn't that far out of reach, either.

Johnson adds a quality left-handed bat to the middle of the line up and sures up the defense in the infield. Johnson will take over at first base, moving Jorge Cantu back to third. The odd man out in this equation may be speed merchant Emilio Bonifacio, who is an error machine, but can play pretty much anywhere in the field.

In 98 games for the Nationals, Johnson hit .295 with six home runs, 44 RBIs and a .408 on-base percentage.

.