Jeffrey Loria speaks to the payroll

by craig on Mar 3, 2008 7:56 AM EST in News and Rumors

As Brickell reported in the comments and Dan is with holding comment for now (sort of), Jeffery Loria talked about the Marlins payroll going forward.

Don't expect the Marlins' payroll to immediately increase just because a new stadium deal has been reached.

Owner Jeffrey Loria said Saturday he will boost the salaries, but not until the stadium opens in 2011.

"It's a function of revenues, and we were not really able to derive any revenues out of (Dolphin Stadium)," Loria said of the payroll, which is expected to be the lowest in baseball this season.

"As we get closer to the stadium, those things will change. We need to be in that facility and make things happen."

(emphasis is mine)

The normal thing for a team to do is increase the payroll in advance of playing in a new facility. The thought being, that the club will see an increase in attendance, if for no other reason than the novelty of attending a game in the new park. What most organizations try to do is put a competitive team on the field, complete with the fan favorites in order to keep bringing people back to the new facility once the novelty has worn off.

It doesn't have to field an outright contender for the division championship or even one that is will be in the wild-card hunt. But it really should be one that will make some noise.

But the Marlins and normal, don't often collide in the same sentence.

If Loria is true to his word, and there is no reason to think he isn't since this has been the official company line for sometime, it could pose a problem.

...but Marlins fans should probably brace for a few more payroll casualties over the next two seasons. As many as 17 players on the 40-man roster could qualify for arbitration. With another typical campaign, Hanley Ramirez will be in line for about a 20-fold pay increase to around $8.5 million thanks in part to Ryan Howard's $10 million arbitration award.

Other first-time arbitration-eligible players such as Jeremy Hermida, Josh Willingham, Mike Jacobs and Scott Olsen should garner significant raises as well.

The Marlins will enter this season with about a $19 million dollar payroll. I just hope that isn't the metric that will be used in the next few years. Because if it is, when the Marlins play in their inaugural season in the new park the casual fan will recognize almost none of the players names.

As it stands right now, the Marlins put a fun, exciting team to watch on the field. Should they choose to see them depart, they will end up like the Pirates who squandered the benefits of having a new stadium.

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Comments

Hanley

If they let Hanley slip away by not "frivolously spending" more than half a mil before getting in that stadium, there will be some irreparable damage done to the team's credibility.

I really believe Hanley can become the greatest player in team history, even surpassing Miggy. There's no reason he shouldn't be a Marlin forever, by any means necessary.

Whatever Loria says about "revenues," the real thing he's concerned about it "profits." Right now they are getting $60m+ in revenues, regardless of any ticket sales. You're telling me that's not enough to lock up franchise players?

by Matt Wilson on Mar 3, 2008 9:20 AM EST reply actions