You’ve seen the headlines.
“Florida man bites off neighbor’s ear because he wouldn’t give him a cigarette.”
“Florida man holds up Domino’s delivery man over pizza and wings.”
“Florida man attacks nephew over uncooked noodles.”
Each one is more bizarre than the next, and each headline is as absurd as it is laughable.
That’s why the story, “Florida man tries to trade superstar with no-trade clause” doesn’t even make you blink. We’ve come to accept the peculiar, strange and unconventional from our friends in the Sunshine State, but this time, we can’t let the story pass unchecked.
The Miami Marlins’ new ownership group might be new to the southeast, but in their first months on the job, the leaders at the top have managed to embarrass the franchise with their handling of 2017 National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton.
What Miami is trying to accomplish by removing Stanton from its payroll is not a new idea by any means, especially for a mid-market franchise that’s struggled to remain consistently relevant through the years. Part of those struggles, by the way, are the fault of the team’s previous owner, Jeffrey Loria. But the methods by which the Marlins are committed to reducing their payroll are entirely contemptible.
When the new Marlins’ ownership group, one spearheaded by former Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter and New York businessman Bruce Sherman, agreed to purchase the franchise, it did so knowing exactly what type of situation it would inherit. While most new owners would be starry-eyed over the opportunity to acquire a team with a generational star in the midst of his prime coupled with several other rising talents under the age of 30, the Marlins’ ownership has essentially turned its back on the existing roster.
Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald has reported the team plans to cut its payroll down to $90 million ahead of the 2018 season, a $25 million drop off from the franchise-record $115 million payroll the Marlins started the 2017 season with. It’s a move that will surely make a Miami team that finished in second place in the National League East this year less competitive in the immediate future, but it’s also puzzling given the current roster composition and the franchise’s opportunity to become a contender in the coming seasons.
I’m not in the business of telling rich people how to spend their money, though I’m sure that’s a lucrative industry. I am in the business of analyzing decisions that impact the competitiveness of baseball, and Marlins fans are being sold out. When the group led by Jeter and Sherman agreed to purchase the team, it knew the franchise owed Stanton $295 million over the next 10 seasons, and it knew Stanton possessed a full no-trade clause as part of his contract.
Yet still, the Marlins are determined to find a team willing to take on the vast majority of Stanton’s salary. So determined, in fact, that Miami has agreed to terms of a trade with the San Francisco Giants involving Stanton, even though the Marlins’ right fielder hasn’t even told the team if he would be willing to accept a trade.
That’s pathetic.
The Marlins are obviously intent on blowing up their operation and starting anew. That’s fine, because they deserve to get blasted.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted the Marlins’ handling of the Stanton situation has all but assured Stanton will be booed for the rest of his career in St. Louis (his other most aggressive suitor), San Francisco, or both cities. By agreeing to the framework of trades with both franchises, the Marlins have set up a scenario in which each fan base will feel slighted if Stanton doesn’t waive his no-trade clause, or waits until the Los Angeles Dodgers engineer a deal with Miami so that he can accept a trade and play in his hometown.
Marlins' handling of trade situation all but guarantees that Giancarlo Stanton will be booed for rest of his career in STL or SF, or both. Which could have been avoided if MIA acknowledged his pivotal no-trade leverage from outset and worked through him, rather than around him.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 6, 2017
Ultimately, Miami’s ownership could have approached Stanton and gauged his interest in accepting trades to teams willing to take on his massive salary. If Stanton said no to certain teams, like the Giants or the Cardinals, the Marlins wouldn’t have wasted the time of everyone involved by working out potential trades that will never come to fruition. Instead, the Marlins have gone ahead and pursued trade talks with teams Stanton might not have interest in playing for, and set up their marquee player to be the scapegoat if he doesn’t agree to a deal.
Perhaps the Marlins did receive Stanton’s blessing to look for trades, and now the 28-year-old has cold feet. Unfortunately for Miami, that hasn’t been reported, and everything the public knows about Miami’s ownership, past and present, would suggest the Marlins are wildly incompetent. Additionally, Stanton’s reputation is that of a deliberate, thoughtful star who takes time to process big-picture decisions. So it shouldn’t take much to figure out where blame lies here.
Within the next few days, it’s possible Stanton agrees to waive his no-trade clause and come to San Francisco. He could also surprise everyone in baseball, and opt to play in St. Louis instead. What’s disappointing about the situation for the sport is that Miami finally had a game-changing talent to build around, and the Marlins’ fan base could have been energized for years to come. Imagine an outfield of Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna playing with one another for the next five-to-10 seasons. Even if Miami didn’t add any other high-profile pieces, the franchise could have drafted its way into building a strong pitching staff, and competed in a division that isn’t nearly as hard to win as the National League West or Central.
Now, the Marlins look desperate. Desperate to wave goodbye to their foundation, and begin another rebuild fans that have already become disenfranchised will have to suffer through. The Miami Herald has also reported that if Stanton doesn’t agree to a trade, the franchise has warned him it will sell off its other top talents and surround him with a weak supporting cast. That’s despicable.
In a few years, after the Marlins’ forced rebuild is complete, there’s a possibility all the critics including myself will regret what we said. Freeing the payroll of the largest contract in baseball history could be the new lease on life a team like Miami needs to set up the future. The Houston Astros tanked and look where they are now. The Chicago Cubs were pitiful to watch and they won a World Series, too. The difference, though, is that those teams gave baseball fans some indication they knew what they were doing.
The Marlins haven’t.
Next week, Stanton could be a Giant, he could be a Cardinal, or if he gets his way, he could be a Dodger. He could also still be the Marlins’ right fielder, because that’s what he signed up for, and his contract gives him the leverage a new ownership group apparently can’t live with.
Five years from now, we’ll look back at this offseason and think about the day the Marlins traded the MVP or the events that led Miami to hold onto him. Maybe I’ll be wrong, but something tells me the Marlins’ ownership is going to make us shake our heads like every other “Florida man…” headline always does.