Its no secret that the Miami Marlins are having a good season. The Marlins currently sit a couple of games behind Atlanta for the top spot in the NL East. The Fish also find themselves two games over .500, a welcomed surprise over 2013 when they weren’t over .500 at any point in the season. The Marlins are on their way to respectability, but in order to become contenders, the Miami Marlins front office need to learn these traits from several teams.
Sign Young Talent Before It Becomes Costly
The Marlins stand to sign their young talent to long term contracts before the market raises their value. When a player is apparently a fit in the franchise, it is wise to sign them long term at a “franchise-friendly” cost. This move typically avoids those expensive, tense arbitration years as well as free agency. Arbitration can be a detriment because a deal does get done, but a divide may form because a player may feel undervalued and unwanted by a franchise. When a franchise lets a player test free agency, they lose a lot of leverage. Signing a young player long-term before arbitration is good for both sides.
This was played out by the Tampa Bay Rays and Evan Longoria. The Rays are similar to Miami in that they are both small market franchises. The Rays recognized that they had a talented player on their hands as soon as Evan Longoria hit the field. The Rays signed Longoria to a 6-year deal in his rookie season with three option years, than extended him another 7 years. The Rays have essentially locked up their franchise player for his whole career (he’ll be 38 when his extension runs out in 2022) at a savings in the tens of millions.
Don’t Trade Away Franchise Players
The Marlins have made several decisions that have haunted their franchise. One of the most lopsided trades in MLB History occurred when the Marlins traded Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers for CF Cameron Maybin and P Andrew Miller. Maybin and Miller aren’t on the Marlins roster. Cabrera would become a triple crown winner and two-time AL MVP. The Marlins front office must avoid trading their current Franchise Players, Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez. The Marlins need to build around these players.
An example of a team holding on to a player through the rough stretches is the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen debut for the Pirates in 2009, and just experienced his first taste of winning baseball in 2013. In 2011, rumors of a McCutchen trade heated up. Ultimately, the Pirates held on to the 2013 MVP, and he lead them to their first playoff appearance of this millennium.
Define the Philosophy and Stick to it
The Marlins have been a notoriously low budget baseball team throughout the last decade. This low budget mentality has ultimately lead to the Marlins losing players such a Miguel Cabrera, Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Derek Lee. The Marlins then decided to become big spenders going into the 2012 season by bringing on big name players such as Heath Bell, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. The Marlins didn’t start as planned that season and by the start of the 2013 season, the roster had been purged. The Marlins inconsistency in philosophy doomed them to a 100 loss 2013 season and a franchise devoid of an identity.
The Marlins must choose whether they will go the Rays route and be a smart low budget team that doesn’t spend big on big name players. The Marlins can also go the route of the LA Teams and spend big on big name players to supplement their homegrown talent. Its apparent however that the Marlins must choose a philosophy and abide by it in order to be successful.
Final Analysis
The Marlins are heading in the right direction. They are showing that they won’t go away in spite of the fact that they lost ace Jose Fernandez to Tommy John Surgery (SIA Profile). The team may end up being a nice story this year, but the Marlins front office will ultimately need to learn and apply these three lessons in order to build the club into a legitimate contender for years to come.
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