"In Jorge Cantu's perfect world, he would play the rest of his career with the Marlins.

"They've been very welcoming and have appreciated my talents," said Cantu, who has blossomed into one of the franchise's most productive clean-up hitters since joining the club in 2008.

"They have been true professionals to me since Day One. This is the way I'm paying back to them for saving me. I was at rock bottom in my career. Nobody believed what I had as a player. These guys gave me a great opportunity and I'm always thankful for them."

Cantu, released by Cincinnati in December 2007, averaged nearly 98 RBI in his first two years with Florida and is on track to do even better this season. With 16 RBI in 13 games, he led the National League entering Monday's games.

He will take a 17-game hitting streak (including four games last year) into Tuesday's game, the opener of a three-game series in Houston. His 13-game streak to open the season is a Marlins record. And last week he became the first player in history to open a season with an RBI in 10 straight games.

"It has been great for us to show confidence in him and he has made the most of that opportunity. It certainly paid tremendous dividends for us," said Marlins vice president Dan Jennings, who has followed Cantu since their days together in the Tampa Bay system.

"Having him hitting behind Hanley (Ramirez) has been a great fit for our offense. It gives Hanley pitches to hit. He wins a batting title and Cantu knocks in a hundred (in 2009). They complement each other."

The Marlins have said they want to go into their new ballpark in 2012 with a championship team. Whether Cantu is part of that remains to be seen."