Published On: Tue, Apr 20th, 2010

Marlins must Change the way they do Business

 

By: Matt Bluesten

This happened to be a typical Marlins offseason. The Marlins spent no money on Free Agents, and no arbitration offers were made to departing Free Agents. In addition, a few salary dump trades were made. It was business as usual for the Marlins. However, the good news is that the Marlins gave their franchise pitcher Josh Johnson a four year contract extension.

Also the team tried to sign the top rated international pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman to a five year deal. Advanced scouts were drooling all over this hyped up prospect. I believe the Josh Johnson signing and the Aroldis Chapman contract offer occurred as a result of Major League Baseball and the players Union reprimanding the Marlins.  Interestingly, Major League Baseball stepped in by denouncing the Marlins spending habits and low payroll. The Marlins were also accused of pocketing revenue sharing money; instead of the revenue sharing on players.

In response to the statement released, the Marlins decided to increase their payroll to the highest it has been in five years. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for the Marlins to continue to increase their payroll. They need to do this in order to keep the fans happy and content. It is expected that the team will increase the payroll exponentially as soon as they move into the new stadium. Regardless, of what the Marlins ownership is promising, the fans are demanding the team to show more of a willingness to spend a considerable amount of money on quality players.

Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, left, presents Hanley Ramirez with the Silver Slugger Award

Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria is not exactly a fan favorite and he has been accused of pocketing revenue sharing money instead of investing it appropriately towards player salaries. Incredibly, the Marlins always find a way to stay competitive and the Front Office must be highly commended for this extraordinary achievement of remaining competitive with a low payroll. Every year the Marlins continue to have the lowest payroll in baseball and every year they continue to impress. Incredibly, the Marlins won 87 games last year with a $37 million payroll. Jeffrey Loria needs to understand that if you are going to own a professional sports franchise, than you are required to spend money and provide the necessary financial resources.

Jeffrey Loria must be held accountable for his unethical business practices. Quite Frankly, I would not be surprised if nothing changed as far as spending money is concerned when they movie into their new ballpark. The fans will decide the Marlins fate and future in South Florida. If the Ownership does not improve, you may see the demise of Jeffrey Loria and his gangbusters. It was a tremendous victory for the Marlins to get the stadium deal passed, but now they must prove to the fans that they want to win at all costs. At the end of the day, the Marlins organization still has a something to prove to the fans. At the end of the day, the Marlins need to walk the walk.

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