Giancarlo Stanton put on a show for Marlins supporters, but with new ownership promising big changes he could be finished in Miami.
Rooting for the Miami Marlins is rarely easy. Since their inception in 1993 they have never finished in first place. Through 25 seasons they’ve only finished above .500 six times, and haven’t done so since 2009. Sure, there were championships in 1997 and 2003, but both were followed by massive sell-offs and they haven’t reached the playoffs in 15 years.
Ownership deserves a large share of the blame. Jeffrey Loria’s reign as owner was marked by perpetual bottom-feeding and frugality. Marlins payroll was always at or near the bottom of the league, frequently paying his team less in salary than he was receiving in revenue sharing. Players and fans alike often became disgruntled and weary of mismanagement. As (now former) reliever AJ Ramos was quoted by Tim Healey of the Miami Sun Sentinel:
"“I’ve come to expect things like this,” said Ramos, the Marlins’ All-Star closer. “I feel like there’s always something that comes out, always something we’re going to have to talk about. Every year I kind of wait. ‘OK, what’s it going to be this year?'”"
Now the parsimonious rule of Loria is over. A new ownership group led by DE-REK JE-TER (Clap! Clap! Clap clap clap!) has taken control and immediately cleared out the front office. No one knows how the new ownership group will remake the franchise, but the team spent 2017 in a holding pattern as the ownership transition was finalized. They finished 77-85, good for second place in the NL East but 20 games below the runaway Nationals.
There was a bright spot, though, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound solar flare.