What’s in a name?
As that great genius of literature, William Shakespeare, once uttered in his famous play about baseball in the Floridian sunshine, ‘the Marlins by any other name, shall go on a massive spending spree.’
Okay, the intellectuals among you may have noticed that I was slightly economical with the truth there, but the point is certainly a valid one as the new Miami Marlins prepare for their first season in a new stadium, with a new name and even new uniforms. It would also appear that a new found love of splashing the cash has emerged too.
For that though, you have to give the Marlins and their front office nothing but credit. The Florida Marlins playing at SunLife Stadium was simply not a viable business plan, despite winning two World Series titles within eight seasons of being admitted to the league in 1993.
In the last eleven seasons, since 2001, the Florida Marlins finished outside the bottom three teams in the league in average attendance just once (they finished 26th in 2006) and outside the bottom six in Opening Day salaries just twice. In 2006, their Opening Day payroll was under $15 million. That’s for 25 players. It’s also roughly half of A-Rod’s yearly salary at the Yankees. Indeed, we are not all that far removed from MLB effectively demanding that the Marlins spend more money. The perception from the big spenders, and those that run baseball, was that Florida was essentially being deliberately uncompetitive due to their small payroll.
For the residents of Miami, as is the case to a somewhat lesser extent in Tampa Bay currently, it was a case of chicken and egg. The Marlins were stuck in a poor stadium for baseball. Its capacity of over 75,000 was simply unnecessary and merely exacerbated the problem of smaller attendances. With poor facilities, along with it being a significant driving distance from downtown Miami, you can understand the scepticism of the locals. So, if the punters aren’t paying, why should the front office? Although, if the front office was spending, would it have resulted in an increased fan base?
In the past few seasons they have traded away any player who could demand a top level salary, such as Miguel Cabrera and Dan Uggla, and were effectively in a constant rebuilding process. Every few years, when a generation of draft picks had reached the level where they could realistically demand even only $5 million salaries, they were quickly jettisoned. Had the front office spent the money, the Marlins could have consistently fielded a competitive team. When they won their first World Series title in 1997, the Marlins had the 11th highest salary and 7th highest attendance, so there is a precedent that should the owners allow the front office to spend and field a competitive side, then the fans will turn up. Unfortunately, there has been a decade long apathy from all parties, and that wasn’t good for the game in general, not just the Florida Marlins.
Something had to be done, and the Marlins should be commended for building a new stadium much nearer to downtown Miami, and therefore, in a much more attractive spot. In fact, Major League Baseball should be commended just as much for allowing the Marlins to build a new stadium rather than forcing the franchise out of town. Such an approach worked wonders for the Minnesota Twins, who beat out possible contraction to build a new stadium and join the big spenders. The Twins, although successful on the field for the last decade, hadn’t been particularly successful in the box office, thanks mainly to sharing an over-sized stadium with the local NFL team. Sound familiar? Yet, in 2010, the Twins moved outside and are now considered genuine players in terms of finances, as was seen with the mammoth $284 million, 8 year contract given to hometown hero Joe Mauer prior to a game of baseball having even graced Target Field.
The Miami Marlins seem to be following similar lines, as has been proved with the recent signing of Jose Reyes to a $106 million contract, or, to put it into context, $2 million more than they paid the 100 players that featured on their Opening Day rosters between 2006-2009. Talk about a fresh beginning! Then, perish the thought, they offered contracts to the best position player and pitcher on the free agency market. Although both Pujols and C.J. Wilson decided to join the Los Angeles Angels of Orange County, Anaheim and Surrounding Suburbs, or whatever they’re called, the Marlins showed serious interest and, in turn, a serious willingness to part with vaults worth of dosh.
It would be foolish, however, to suggest that money is everything. To use an example already given, the Minnesota Twins finished last season with 99 losses, much more than they had at any point in the last decade at the Metrodump, despite having a wage budget that nobody would have believed were possible even as late as 2005. It is true, though, that the whole baseball community wants to see more teams spending more money in order to compete with the Evil Empire on a more consistent basis. For that, the emergence of the Miami Marlins can only be a good thing. So, I ask, what’s in a name?
