New season, same problem: Marlins’ way-too-low spending unfair to players, insult to fans | Opinion

The Miami Marlins opened the franchise;’s 32nd season Thursday looking for a miracle. Again. The club that believes it can win by outsmarting everybody else in lieu of spending to Major League Baseball standards scoffs once more at “you get what you pay for” -- only emboldened by last year’s unexpected playoff appearance.

It’s-still-Marlins Park-to-me had the requisite Opening Day trappings of red, white and blue bunting, a military jets flyover and the ceremonial introductions of the full rosters of Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates along the baselines. Springtime and the unfurling of “America’s Pastime” conjure a fresh start dressed in hope and optimism.

That hope was not fed in a 6-5 season opening loss in 12 innings, making it 10 losses in Miami’s past 11 openers including a sixth straight at home. Pirate Jared Triolo had been 0-for-5 before his game-winning single to right field. The Marlins led 5-2 but six relief pitchers were not enough to hold the lead.

“We have 161 left,” noted second-year manager Skip Schumaker.

Yes, but optimism is another tough ask of Marlins fans. It was a festive 32,564, the club’s biggest home-opening crowd since 2016 -- but still not quite enough in number to fill the ballpark Thursday (not even on Opening Day). But the club’s ownership cannot seem to connect the dots that link spending with winning with consistently big crowds.

The Marlins have bells ‘n whistles for their fans in lieu of a credible player payroll.

Fifty-two bucks gets you in with an all-you-can eat ticket, for those fans unburdened by health concerns. It’s bring-your-own instruments now as the club encourages a noisy, party atmosphere. Lots of Marlins beisbol in the advertising and social media outreach now as the team situated in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhoods tips a nod to its Hispanic fans -- the ones who helped fill this ballpark for the World Baseball Classic last spring.. Oh, and they debuted AI-generated imagery of players on the big screen.

Last year the Marlins somehow went 84-78 and reached the postseason under new manager Schumaker, albeit as a wild-card team quickly ousted. They did that despite being outscored by 57 runs, and despite penurious budget. They did it by going a majors-leading 33-14 in one-run games, a stat hardly sustainable.

They might have built on that playoff momentum with a big offseason, with actual spending.

Instead they did very little, spent very little., in the first offseason under new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, the Tampa Bay Rays executive whose hiring here led to the departure of general manager Kim Ng.

“It was quiet in terms of meaningful, impactful moves,” Bendix admitted to ESPN.

The team desperate for offense watched other teams make all the big moves in an offseason of record spending outside of South Florida. It was no surprise Miami looked to Tampa for a front office wizard, because the Rays are the anomaly cheap team always point to as Exhibit A for why you needn’t spend big.

They might also point to the New York Mets, who didn’t win big despite a mammoth payroll.

There is a correlation, though, between spending and winning. This year the top 15 teams based on percentage playoff likelihood include 11 of the top 15 payrolls. The bottom-15 teams have only four of the upper-half payrolls.

If you point to the Mets as an outlier, please do also note that two others from the Marlins’ NL East, the Braves and Phillies both have top-five payrolls and both are really good (another reason Miami’s postseason likelihood is seen as small).

The Marlins not only did not get better this offseason, they got worse, at least on paper, when you consider their best pitcher, Sandy Alcantara, will miss the entire season after Tommy John surgery, and their best home run bat, Jorge Soler, left in free agency to San Francisco and took his 36 homers with him. Because Miami would not sufficiently spend to re-sign him.

The Marlins are not seen as likely for the playoffs again (ESPN’s computer model puts the probability at 18 percent), and you wonder if the Fish really expect to challenge. This week’s trade -- Jon Berti for two minor-league outfielders -- clearly was about tomorrow, not today. Miami’s farm system has gone barren over the past couple of years and prospects who can swing a bat are needed. But Berti was needed, too, this season. He’s a versatile utilityman who can steal bases, and his absence further weakens the 2024 roster.

Miami’s 2024 payroll via Spotrac.com ranks 28th of 30 teams in both total spending ($82.9 million) and 26-man payroll ($67.1M). That is a down from the ‘23 Marlins’ total payroll of $105.4 million that ranked 22nd.

Meanwhile the Mets, Phillies and Braves’ combined total payrolls this season is $762.2 million, and even rebuilding Washington is spending more than the Fish under owner Bruce Sherman.

An ESPN article on MLB payroll tiers placed the Marlins in the eighth of nine, the tier headed, “Cheap And Should Spend More.” Hallelujah! Been saying that for years and won’t stop.

Miami is not spending on a competitive level, or close to it. The MLB average is $153.2 million. The Competitive Balance Tax does not kick in unless a club spends more than $237 million.

A player payroll ranked 28th, a farm system now ranked 29th and an inability to sell out a modest-sized ballpark even on Opening Day -- those things intertwine.

So Marlins players are expecting another miracle season.

Maybe Marlins fans are, too.

Both deserve better, more . Both deserve a true miracle, which would be this owner opening up his wallet.