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| photo credit to the Miami Herald |
Blame the slow offseason and hot stove market but yeah, I am
going to talk about the Miami Marlins this morning. Any baseball talk is better
than nothing at this point, at least I am hoping so, especially when we can
throw in a Derek Jeter reference or two while we are at it. The reason I want
to talk about the Marlins this morning is not because of the Giancarlo Stanton
trade that brought the reigning National League MVP to the Bronx, or another
trade for that matter, but is because Mr. Jeter is letting me down right now if
I am being completely honest. Derek Sanderson Jeter is not “Getting Greedy” but
is, in fact, doing quite the opposite of that.
Now I am being a bit sarcastic in the first paragraph and in
the title of this post admittedly, but I do want to talk about the projected
payroll of the Marlins going forward and the basic “promise” that the team
would turn a profit here in 2018. How can Jeter make such a statement after
trading or attempting to trade anything with a pulse that isn’t tied down? Easily,
actually. Every Major League team will receive, or have already received, a
one-time lump sum of $50 million after Disney acquired BAMTech, a figure I got
from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Jeter and the Marlins expect their payroll to be around or
under the $90 million mark in 2018 with the figure dropping to $81 million in
2019 and $84.8 million in 2020 according to the same article from Jackson, although
obviously a lot can change between now and the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Of
course, Miami is going to turn a profit, the team only has to make $40 million
in sales and revenue in 2018 to turn a profit, and that number is only that
high with the salaries of Edinson Volquez ($9 million), Brad Ziegler ($9
million), Junichi Tazawa ($7 million), Christian Yelich ($7 million), Starlin
Castro (10.857 million) and J.T. Realmuto (third year of arbitration) currently
on the roster. If any or all of these men are traded that number becomes
increasingly smaller.
Jeter went out and called his shot saying the team would
make a profit, good for him. This is a business first-and-foremost and the
ultimate goal, despite what George Steinbrenner would say if he were alive
right now, is to make money. The old days of operating in the red, buying up
anything and everything on the free agent market and winning 100 games a season
are over. I just want everyone to have all the information available to them
before once again anointing Mr. Jeter for another job well done. Here’s to Mr.
November, Mr. December and his ownership group down in Miami. I hope you do
well, the city and the organization need it and definitely deserve it. Stay
well.
Oh, and that makes me wonder what Hal and company are doing with that $50 million. Hmm....
It is probably easier for me to "divorce" myself from Derek Jeter since I was never his biggest fan when he was a Yankee, but I feel Jeter has done a very poor job in Miami. I completely agree that Jeffrey Loria left a mess, and a rebuild is in order. But the new ownership group has not been transparent and they've done a very poor job communicating with their players, internal staff and their fans. Giancarlo Stanton took some heat for his harsh words as he left Miami, but I place the blame solely on Jeter. As the "face" of the new organization, it is not Michael Hill's job or others to mend faces...it is Jeter's responsibility. His title as Chief Executive Officer means that every action of the organization is his responsibility. I know that Bruce Sherman is the true "owner" but he's obviously chosen to entrust the visible leadership to Jeter. Jeter should be working hard to unite the organization and its fans to share in the future vision for the Marlins instead of working to alienate everyone. I know that Jeter's your hero, but to me, he's just a guy that is in over his head...until he is able to prove otherwise.
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