August 2019 Game Thread

[tjfla]

I don't care what they do for 2020 since its pretty much a throw away year again but I know 1 thing-I dont wanna hear 1 person on this board cry about the payroll if they all they do is sign Walker and 2 other 33 yr old FA to 1 yr deals

People want guys and even tho we can/have to spend between 40-60 million no one wants to spend it. Besides lou

We are gonna have a 50 million dollar payroll and everyone is gonna bitch and moan(fans/Scott Boras) that Miami should have spent more cash in FA

- - - - - - - - - -

We have 40-60 million to spend so SPEND it on something!!!

[fauowls44]

I don't care what they do for 2020 since its pretty much a throw away year again but I know 1 thing-I dont wanna hear 1 person on this board cry about the payroll if they all they do is sign Walker and 2 other 33 yr old FA to 1 yr deals

People want guys and even tho we can/have to spend between 40-60 million no one wants to spend it. Besides lou

We are gonna have a 50 million dollar payroll and everyone is gonna bitch and moan(fans/Scott Boras) that Miami should have spent more cash in FA

- - - - - - - - - -

We have 40-60 million to spend so SPEND it on something!!!

I don't think anyone is advocating spending stupid money (unless they want to throw a giant contract at Rendon), but there is no reason not to offer a big money short-term deal (2-3 years) to players like Castellanos, Puig, and/or Abreu who would help this lineup a lot. I get that there is a plan and that is great, but 3 years in a row cannot be "throw away years". At some point, you have to start showing real progress at the MLB level. They have seemingly fixed the minor league system very quickly and have another very high draft pick on the way. The TV deal is coming up...There is only Chen left making any money left on the payroll after this year (and he should just be given his money and sent packing)...Now is the time to show a real commitment to improving the actual MLB product.

[Maddawg]

..Now is the time to show a real commitment to improving the actual MLB product.

This is going to be their litmus test....and they need to prepare themselves for a few years of higher payroll & low attendance because people have seen the firesales too many times. They don't want to commit until they see Sherman is truly committed. In 2021 if they win 85 to 90 games I could still see them having a league-low or near lowest attendance.

By the way need to go 19-18 in last 37 games to win more than last year. The lineup they put out there this year did NOTHING to build the fanbase with any confidence that the franchise is headed in the right direction. They still have MASSIVE issues with their public relations and with some cognitive dissonance with the South Fla fan base.

[fauowls44]

This is going to be their litmus test....and they need to prepare themselves for a few years of higher payroll & low attendance because people have seen the firesales too many times. They don't want to commit until they see Sherman is truly committed. In 2021 if they win 85 to 90 games I could still see them having a league-low or near lowest attendance.

By the way need to go 19-18 in last 37 games to win more than last year. The lineup they put out there this year did NOTHING to build the fanbase with any confidence that the franchise is headed in the right direction. They still have MASSIVE issues with their public relations and with some cognitive dissonance with the South Fla fan base.

I agree that they will need to realize that signing players this isn't a quick fix. There will likely be incremental improvements to attendance rather a big jump. That was Loria's problem. He thought signing Reyes, etc. would mean a huge jump in attendance and then when it didn't happen 3 months in, he blew it up.

I'd like to think the public understands the concept of what they are trying to do. Building from the minors up is the right plan. It's just that I don't think you can ask people to just accept "throwing away" a 3rd straight season. They don't have to be competing for the playoffs next year, but they do have to be showing that things are getting better on the MLB level. Part of that is upgrading the lineup now and that means spending some real money on free agents. Someone like Castellanos (from South Florida, solid MLB hitter) or Abreu/Puig would be perfect additions to this team and would be a big PR boost.

[Todd]

I made the mistake of criticizing Alfaro on reddit.

[Maddawg]

I agree that they will need to realize that signing players this isn't a quick fix. There will likely be incremental improvements to attendance rather a big jump. That was Loria's problem. He thought signing Reyes, etc. would mean a huge jump in attendance and then when it didn't happen 3 months in, he blew it up.

I'd like to think the public understands the concept of what they are trying to do. Building from the minors up is the right plan. It's just that I don't think you can ask people to just accept "throwing away" a 3rd straight season. They don't have to be competing for the playoffs next year, but they do have to be showing that things are getting better on the MLB level. Part of that is upgrading the lineup now and that means spending some real money on free agents. Someone like Castellanos (from South Florida, solid MLB hitter) or Abreu/Puig would be perfect additions to this team and would be a big PR boost.

100% agree with this. I think their biggest problem is the PR and messaging they send out. A 3rd year of losing baseball would be getting to close to the Pirates recent years of frustration (it was 20 losing seasons in a row I think, or was it just 20 years of no playoffs ?) if its the latter we are closing in on that as well.

Yes asking a fanbase for yet another year of 100+ losses is just not a good business model in a market that has been this abused. You need to show some spirit of commitment or the entire fanbase, including people like myself will really start to lose hope. You hate to follow a team that just will trade everyone away the minute things go a little sour (2012). That was Loria for you - it was as if blamed the fans for not flocking to the new stadium. Well a nice new stadium was just pretty pink wrapping of a turd of a team. If attendance had been better even with the losing team, Loria wouldn't have jumped the gun to make the trades he did...he only taded them as a salary dump for the 2nd half of the season (and beyond)

[Nick]

Incremental improvements are not going to bring people to the ballpark. Hell we had a guy who was a threat to hit a 500-foot home run every time he came to the plate, and a once-in-a-generation type pitcher, and people didn't come. The only thing that will get people to come is a playoff race, and to get people to stay, you're going to have to do it again the next year, and then the next year and then maybe you'll start solidifying a base through season tickets, where people don't completely disappear if the team takes a downturn here and there. Sustained success is the only answer I have for improving attendance, because it's the one thing that hasn't happened in the history of the franchise.

[Nick]

What genius came up with this black and white uniforms idea?

[Nick]

Noesi & Chen what a lethal combination.

[Namaste]

I was at the game. Live game of the season for me. That band out in Section 40 with us can be a bit much sometimes but they make the atmosphere way more intense during rally’s.

[Nick]

Anderson done for the year. Broke his hand on that HBP.

[Todd]

Anderson.

[Lee Stone]

Sad for Anderson but an opportunity for A Dean.

Looking forward to seeing Tyler Heineman in September. Great defense, and .345, .391 and 1.012. Topping it off, he bats equally well (this season) from both sides of the plate. Same age as Realmuto and full control - he's never had an ab in majors. An amazing pickup IMO and possibly our catcher of the future.

[Todd]

He is 28 years old. He is not the catcher of the futute.

[Lee Stone]

He is 28 years old. He is not the catcher of the futute.

His age doesn't bother me at all. He appears to be coming into his own and minimum wage for his age 28-31 years would sit nicely on team payroll. Super prospect Will Smith of the Dodgers has gone nuts since joining the big league team from the PCL, where Heineman has posted even better numbers than Smith (per OPS). The point here is that Heineman is likely the most major league ready player in the minor league system - and the Marlins got him for nothing.