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Surprised this wasn't posted since Stark put this out Friday in his column.
This sure as hell gets me eager to see what plans the front office has been discussing to assure that they don't waste a prime opportunity to really improve the city's outlook on this team for the future with the new stadium.
Most unlikely offseason spenders: Believe it or not, Dodgers and Marlins could be big players this offseason
The Marlins
They aren't just moving into a new ballpark. They're moving into a new universe.
For 19 seasons, the Marlins have been playing baseball in a stadium with no roof, no air conditioners, virtually no revenue streams and no reminders that anything of note ever occurred there that wasn't accomplished by a bunch of men wearing shoulder pads.
So when this team sets up shop in its gleaming new 21st-century baseball palace in Miami next spring, this is its time -- to change everything.
The Marlins know it. The entire baseball world knows it. And that explains why so many folks within the sport -- agents, other front offices, even players -- are hearing that the Fish could be chasing some big, big names this winter. And by that, we don't just mean Ozzie Guillen.
Albert Pujols? Prince Fielder? Jose Reyes? Aramis Ramirez? C.J. Wilson? From all indications, they haven't ruled anything out.
"With our payroll going up, we have a chance to put together a team at a payroll level we don't currently have," team president David Samson told Rumblings. "And that could involve anything -- trades, free agents or a combination of both."
They're not saying exactly which names they might pursue, or how much higher that payroll will be soaring. But face it: There's nowhere to go but up. And the fact is, it needs to go up -- because if they want to survive, if they want to keep people streaming into that ballpark beyond next year, the pressure is on.
This is their shot -- maybe their only shot -- to open eyes, to shock the world, to re-energize a fan base that has tuned them out. And just hiring a famous manager won't be enough -- although that's clearly on their agenda, too.
They'd hoped to build momentum by contending THIS year. Oh, well. They'd hoped that Josh Johnson, Hanley Ramirez, Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton were going to pole-vault into the superstar stratosphere THIS YEAR. Oh, well. At least Stanton did his part.
But even though that part of the plan didn't work, those are still four potentially great players, when healthy, who could form a core group that any team would love to build around. Now, the challenge is to do more. Much more.
And everything we hear indicates they recognize that. So suddenly, the vibe that people in other front offices are getting is that the Marlins plan to go "all-in," that they're "going to be aggressive" on a bunch of big names this winter, and that they're "going to pay" if that's what it takes.
It's hard to imagine them piling upward of 200 million bucks in front of someone like Pujols. But that talk just doesn't go away.
It's hard to comprehend the concept of the Marlins being the highest bidder on someone like Reyes. But their current shortstop, the artist formerly known as Hanley, has already said publicly he would move to third base to make room if that happens.
And there are rumblings that this team will be firing on all cylinders, trying to reel in a top-of-the-rotation starter to pair with Johnson -- because, as the Marlins look around at the rotation the Phillies roll out there and the staffs the Braves and Nationals are building, that's the only way to do business in the NL East.
Samson said they haven't formulated the specifics of their game plan yet, because "we don't know what the market is. And we don't know what the feelings are of the [baseball] people who'll be putting the plan together. We just don't know those things yet. But we're definitely going to start talking -- about everything."
So it will be fascinating to see where this leads. But as easy as it is to be skeptical, remember this: They only get to open their new park once. They only get one chance to attract people to check out the scenery as the new tourist attraction it is. After that, they'll need to give those people a reason to keep coming back.
And you know, we know and they know that a roof and an air conditioner won't be a good enough reason. So gentlemen, start your checkbooks. The only thing riding on it in beautiful downtown Miami this offseason is, well, everything.
They aren't just moving into a new ballpark. They're moving into a new universe.
For 19 seasons, the Marlins have been playing baseball in a stadium with no roof, no air conditioners, virtually no revenue streams and no reminders that anything of note ever occurred there that wasn't accomplished by a bunch of men wearing shoulder pads.
So when this team sets up shop in its gleaming new 21st-century baseball palace in Miami next spring, this is its time -- to change everything.
The Marlins know it. The entire baseball world knows it. And that explains why so many folks within the sport -- agents, other front offices, even players -- are hearing that the Fish could be chasing some big, big names this winter. And by that, we don't just mean Ozzie Guillen.
Albert Pujols? Prince Fielder? Jose Reyes? Aramis Ramirez? C.J. Wilson? From all indications, they haven't ruled anything out.
"With our payroll going up, we have a chance to put together a team at a payroll level we don't currently have," team president David Samson told Rumblings. "And that could involve anything -- trades, free agents or a combination of both."
They're not saying exactly which names they might pursue, or how much higher that payroll will be soaring. But face it: There's nowhere to go but up. And the fact is, it needs to go up -- because if they want to survive, if they want to keep people streaming into that ballpark beyond next year, the pressure is on.
This is their shot -- maybe their only shot -- to open eyes, to shock the world, to re-energize a fan base that has tuned them out. And just hiring a famous manager won't be enough -- although that's clearly on their agenda, too.
They'd hoped to build momentum by contending THIS year. Oh, well. They'd hoped that Josh Johnson, Hanley Ramirez, Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton were going to pole-vault into the superstar stratosphere THIS YEAR. Oh, well. At least Stanton did his part.
But even though that part of the plan didn't work, those are still four potentially great players, when healthy, who could form a core group that any team would love to build around. Now, the challenge is to do more. Much more.
And everything we hear indicates they recognize that. So suddenly, the vibe that people in other front offices are getting is that the Marlins plan to go "all-in," that they're "going to be aggressive" on a bunch of big names this winter, and that they're "going to pay" if that's what it takes.
It's hard to imagine them piling upward of 200 million bucks in front of someone like Pujols. But that talk just doesn't go away.
It's hard to comprehend the concept of the Marlins being the highest bidder on someone like Reyes. But their current shortstop, the artist formerly known as Hanley, has already said publicly he would move to third base to make room if that happens.
And there are rumblings that this team will be firing on all cylinders, trying to reel in a top-of-the-rotation starter to pair with Johnson -- because, as the Marlins look around at the rotation the Phillies roll out there and the staffs the Braves and Nationals are building, that's the only way to do business in the NL East.
Samson said they haven't formulated the specifics of their game plan yet, because "we don't know what the market is. And we don't know what the feelings are of the [baseball] people who'll be putting the plan together. We just don't know those things yet. But we're definitely going to start talking -- about everything."
So it will be fascinating to see where this leads. But as easy as it is to be skeptical, remember this: They only get to open their new park once. They only get one chance to attract people to check out the scenery as the new tourist attraction it is. After that, they'll need to give those people a reason to keep coming back.
And you know, we know and they know that a roof and an air conditioner won't be a good enough reason. So gentlemen, start your checkbooks. The only thing riding on it in beautiful downtown Miami this offseason is, well, everything.
Most unlikely offseason spenders: Believe it or not, Dodgers and Marlins could be big players this offseason
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