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Just Spend Money

By craig

Buster Olney writes:

Here's the thing: The Marlins could sign an expensive reliever. They have the money to do it, the payroll flexibility to do it. They choose not to; they pocket the cash received from Major League Baseball. That is their prerogative, just as it is the prerogative of fans in South Florida to ignore them.

It is true that the Marlins do have some money:

The Marlins get approximately: $30 million in revenue sharing; $12 million in local TV; $18 million in national TV and $10 million in licensing and merchandising from Major League Baseball. That's $70 million before selling a single ticket, which is a good thing considering the number of tickets they sell.

So if I understand Mr. Olney's argument correctly the team would be better served and a more endearing product to the fans if they just spent their money on a player like Danys Baez for a three-year contract for $19 million like the Orioles did.

Just increasing the payroll for the sake of just increasing the payroll makes no sense.  We are not talking about the next Treavor Hoffman here.  If there is one, he is not on the market this year.  Why add some marginal player for the big bucks this market is presently commanding.  It doesn't make any sense to tie-up monetary assets like that.

Something that Mr. Olney knows but doesn't touch on, there is more than the team's payroll involved in the complete operating cost of running the organization.  Running a minor league organization cost money.  So does the front office, the scouts, the coaches, the concession stand workers, the ticket takers, et. al.  Not to mention the expense of player development.  It is all part of the baseball operations and it all comes out of the same pie.

Finally, adding an expensive reliever will not bring fans to the park.  It is foolish to think it would.  Next season's attendance probably won't be much different than last season's.  Meaning most everyone will stay at home and watch the team on television.  If you really want to change that, fire Rich and Tommy and hire the Cardinals announcers.  The Marlins fans will quit watching the games on television and head out to the ballpark in droves, just so they don't have to listen to that crap.

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