Miami Marlins primed for an interesting offseason
By Jason Burke
Did ya hear? Derek Jeter is part of the ownership group that bought the Miami Marlins!
The Miami Marlins have had their troubles in recent years, but one constant for them has been that Jeffrey Loria has been a black eye on baseball. With the sale of the Marlins he will be on his way out, and if you’re looking for an in-depth analysis on the actual sale, there are better scribes than I that can talk about it.
Instead, I wanted to briefly discuss what could be in store for the Marlins in the coming months. With a new ownership group set to take the reigns, that could mean plenty of changes down the pike, and this winter would be their best shot at making a big move.
When you are looking for a job, one way to help ace the interview is to think about things that you would improve at the company you’re applying for. This is a way to show that you’ve come prepared and that you’re a source of fresh new ideas. Coming in as the owners of a baseball team has to be somewhat similar (I have no money, so this is purely speculation). The big question that they’ll have to ask themselves is whether they want to build from within with what they have in place, or if a teardown is in order.
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The problem with the former is that the Marlins don’t have a great farm system. In fact, it’s widely ranked among the worst in the game. So while they have a great outfield trio and some other spare parts, legitimately contending may not be in their immediate future. How ok is this ownership group with the prospect of some losing seasons to begin their tenure? What if those seasons have no end in sight?
This could be the offseason that they look to unload some of their talented crop of players in exchange for a brighter future.
With Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna, the club has three extremely valuable trade chips with at least a couple year’s worth of team control left. It’s doubtful that all three would be moved, but could two of the three be in new digs by next season? It’s possible. In order for the team to move Stanton, they’d be wise to pick up some of the money on his deal in order to get more in a return, which is what they’d ultimately be after.
They could also choose to stick with all three and run with what they have for the next year so they don’t burn up their goodwill as soon as they sit down, but the honeymoon period is when they should take advantage of any renewed faith in the club and put their plans for the franchise in motion. If that means trading away the face of the franchise to build for a better and more sustainable tomorrow, then that may be the cost of doing business.
The other key facet for this group will be an open line of communication. If they’re going to be looking to improve the club for next season, say that. If they’re going to delve into a rebuilding process, that needs to be heard. If they communicate their vision for the next generation of Marlins baseball and follow through on their promises, then they’ll be in pretty good shape.
No matter what happens, they’ll still be better than Loria.