Bruce Sherman, Miami Marlins principal owner, sought to convey all-is-well calm as baseball’s lockout-delayed spring training began a couple of weeks ago. CEO and face-of-the-franchise Derek Jeter had just abruptly and unexpected left in a mutual parting, and Sherman said exactly what he knew fans wanted to hear in the midst of free agency:
“We have money, and we will spend it.”
Now, with Opening Day a week away (April 8 at San Francisco), we look around and can say of Sherman’s boast:
It wasn’t enough.
You didn’t spend enough, Mr. Sherman. Just like Jeffrey Loria didn’t before you.
You didn’t spend enough to keep pace in the rugged National League East, where the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies opened the corporate wallet hugely for splash signings and the Atlanta Braves’ offseason also was lauded.
And you didn’t spend enough to keep pace in your own backyard, where the Miami Dolphins just had a fireworks offseason led by the blockbuster trade for Tyreek Hill and the Florida Panthers have become big spenders and seem Stanley Cup-bound.
Barring a last-minute trade or signing of a seismic nature, this was the Marlins’ winter in one example:
Five days after Sherman said, “We have money, and we will spend it,” outfielder Nick Castellanos signed a five-year, $100 million free agent deal. Alas, he signed it with the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies.
The Hialeah-born Castellanos was the perfect fit for Miami, coming off a 34-homer, 100-RBI, .309 All-Star season for the Reds. There has been speculation in the media that the club’s unwillingness to green-light the big payday for Castellanos was one cause of the Sherman/Jeter rift.
Miami’s biggest winter signings turned out to be outfielders Avisail Garcia (four years, $53 million) and Jorge Soler (three years, $36 million). That’s not nothing. they will help. But both are a cut-rate version of Castellanos.
Garcia and Soler together account for the Marlins’ biggest payout in free emergency since the 2016 diamond disaster of an $80 million deal for Wei-Yin Chen. Miami also added a Gold Glove catcher in Jacob Stallings and a solid, versatile infielder in Joey Wendle.
So this isn’t to say Sherman has done nothing to improve a tepid, low-scoring offense.
He just hasn’t done enough.
MLB.com listed six teams who “won the winter.” Mets were No. 1 and Braves No. 5. Phils got honorable mention. No Marlins.
ESPN gave out offseason grades. Braves and Mets were two of only three teams to get A’s. Miami got a C-plus.
The season’s hopes remain overly reliant on solid starting pitching led by ace Sandy Alcantara, Trevor Rogers and Pablo Lopez, and on the farther-reaching foundation of an impressively rebuilt farm system
But this was the offseason to make major moves to boldly improve the offense so that Alacantra doesn’t go 9-15 again despite a 3.16 ERA and 201 strikeouts.
Did they?
The newcomer Soler is Miami’s highest-rated bat in fantasy rankings at 176th overall and 44th among OFs. He hit 27 homers last year. He also batted .223.
Here’s the bottom line against which “We have money, and we will spend it” must be judged:
Miami’s 2022 player payroll of $67.5 million ranks 26th of 30 teams, and is roughly half of the MLB average of $134.3 million.
You can argue and spin why the Marlins had a smart, efficient offseason. You can argue why they did enough to target improved run scoring. But a payroll ranked 26th will argue back, and win the debate.
Meanwhile the hugely bigger-spending NL East rivals rank second in MLB payrolls (Mets, $251.7 million), fourth (Phillies, $221.7M) and eighth (Braves, $172.9). The Nationals are 19th at $114.2, but that’s still almost double Miami’s payroll.
Does big spending guarantee winning? Of course not. But it sure does give you a better chance at it. Not to mention a more exciting product on the field if filling the stadium might be a reasonable concern.
If only the Marlins’ competition started and ended with the NL East.
This is a franchise also competing to matter in Miami and fill a ballpark.
The Panthers now have the fourth-highest payroll in the NHL. The Dolphins’ spending has spiked and they now rank fifth in the NFL. The Heat ranks 13th in the NBA, but that’s still upper half, and that is our one franchise beyond reproach in terms of how to run its business and win.
This is how our big four pro teams rank in current player payrolls relative to the biggest-spending team in their sport:
Dolphins: 98.61 percentile (spending $213.1 million; top team is $216.1M).
Panthers: 95.58 percentile. (spending $77.9 million; top team $81.5M).
Heat: 75.43 percentile (spending $138.8 million; top team $184.0M).
Marlins: 24.56 percentile (spending $67.5 million; top team $274.8M).
The Marlins talk about a vision of sustained winning, but spending a quarter of what the top teams do and half of the league average is not sustainable.
It’s great to rely on young arms and a farm system. It’s fine to count on analytics and scouting and on being smarter than everybody else.
But at some point you need to go old-school and just spend big for major, difference-making talent.
When Bruce Sherman says, “We have money, and we will spend it,” Marlins fans have every right to tell him, “Spend more. Get in the game with the owners you are trying to beat, and compete.”
