The Miami Marlins missed out on the opportunity to invest and grow during their inactive offseason.
Locally and more recently, the Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team qualified for the 2023 men’s Final Four. (Wait, so that actually did happen?) For the first time in twenty years, the Miami Marlins qualified for the playoffs during a full season.
The Canes aren’t even predicted to be among the 68 teams that will receive an NCAA Tournament invitation, so they won’t be doing it again this year.
As spring training gets underway on Tuesday with the team’s first full-squad practice in Jupiter, 90 minutes north, the Marlins don’t seem ready to duplicate either.
This is due to the fact that the Marlins chose to relax throughout the summer rather than attempt to improve, even if their victory in two games during the wild-card stage was hardly cause for celebration.
The fish decided to use nearly the same squad to run it back. Similar to this, the Miami Heat is attempting to secure a low playoff spot.
In sports lingo, “running it back” is supposed to convey confidence in the product; but, in the Marlins’ context, it most likely refers to the team’s customary reluctance to make significant spending commitments in order to either retain or sign highly sought-after free agents.
And so the Marlins watched as their own best slugger, Jorge Soler, took his 36 home runs with him when he went to San Francisco. That’s because Fish, who has always been extremely frugal, refused to accept anything more than a one-year contract from the Giants, who made an offer of $42 million for three years.
Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 Cy Young winner, will miss the whole 24 season due to Tommy John surgery. As a result, the Marlins will attempt to have a similar club, albeit one that is probably inferior because it will be without both its greatest pitcher and best power hitter.
Bruce Sherman is the latest owner of the Marlins, following in the footsteps of previous owners Wayne Huizenga and Jeffrey Loria. Additionally, the Marlins have a lengthy history of poor home attendance.
Well. When there are so few dots, connecting the dots is not that difficult. You invest on talent since it is more successful. Not spending enough results in not winning enough, and the crowds stay at home. particularly in this congested sports market right now, when the excitement surrounding Lionel Messi’s first full season with Inter Miami, which begins on Wednesday night, even eclipses the start of spring training.
Peter Bendix, general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, was the sole noteworthy offseason move made by the Marlins when he was appointed president of baseball operations. Because she believed an incoming president would seize her authority, general manager Kim Ng departed the organization despite Sherman’s thrifty budgeting, which led it to a rare postseason spot.
Bendix hired front-office workers and built an infrastructure throughout the off-season. It is hardly surprising that they selected him, as Tampa Bay is one of the few teams that can win without using Sherman’s Holy Grail. Noble Meyer, a 19-year-old righty pitcher who is ranked 57th in the top 100 prospects, is the only current member of the team’s farm system that Bendix hopes to rebuild. Meyer might be ready for a call-up by 2026.
Retooling the infrastructure is something that could pay off in a few years. The Marlins need skill in uniforms, not in suits, for the time being, till 2024. This is particularly and critically true in the challenging National League East, where the Philadelphia Phillies are very excellent, the Atlanta Braves appear to be the greatest club in MLB, and the Marlins may be trying to catch the New York Mets for third place.
Unquestionably, “you get what you pay for” is a reality of life. Thus:
The Phillies are in fourth place with $237.2 million, the Braves are in sixth place with $221.3 million, and the Mets have the second-highest 40-man payroll in MLB with $283.8 million. $147.2 is the 30-team average. With $81.5 million in spending, the Marlins are barely ahead of Oakland and Pittsburgh in 28th place.
The Marlins strive to outsmart everyone in order to win. What do you think? Consistently winning teams typically have high spending and intelligence. You’re free to carry out both. In fact, encouraged to!
I recognize my mistakes. Is it that I’m focusing too much on the negative during a baseball season when optimism is meant to endure forever? In some equilibrium, then:
Skip Schumaker, the team’s manager for the upcoming season, leads this 84-win squad. Luis Arraez, the leadoff hitter who finished last season with an NL batting title of 354, was a fantastic addition. Eury Perez, 20, a No. 3 starter, has the potential to be an ace in the future.
A playoff rematch could occur if any or all of the following take place:While Perez matures and Alcantara heals, Jesus Luzardo might play like an ace and manage the starting job at No. 1.
“It hurts to start the season without your guy [Alcantara],” remarks Mel Stottlemyre Jr., the pitching coach. “However, it offers the staff and other individuals a chance to rise up together. Nobody is delighted about it, I can assure you, but they have to fill the hole.
Should batters Jake Burger and Josh Bell, along with corner infielders, play as they did in their 53 games combined last season, they could be able to play for the entire season. They both seem like 20–25 homer dudes.
The anticipation is finally paying off if center fielder and probable cleanup hitter Jazz Chisholm Jr. has a complete, healthy season.
Should Jesus Sanchez and Bryan de la Cruz continue to build on their impressive ’23 seasons, should Jon Berti demonstrate that they didn’t require a superior shortstop, should Nick Fortes demonstrate his ability as a starting catcher, and should Avisail Garcia do anything for the love of God, then all of this may happen.
Schumaker claims that “competition brings out the best in everybody.” A few men rush towards it. A few men flee from it.
The Marlins will have an opportunity to contend for the postseason once more if enough players rush to it and if the other factors line up just perfectly.
That would be the case even with Alcantara out of the picture, Soler gone, and most importantly, even with an owner who claims he always believes the team will win even though he doesn’t invest enough to give it a genuine shot.