Marlins: The National League East should not give up on Miami

At least one writer who covers a National League East team believes the Marlins will help other rivals win the division crown.

If you know a little bit about me and how I love baseball and follow the Miami Marlins, nothing upsets me more than someone deciding this organization isn’t doing anything to improve their place in the National League East.

My love of baseball and my fandom is one of the reasons why I cover the team, despite the long layoff from winning seasons and playoff berths. When I read a story this morning by Steve Contursi of reflectionsonbaseball.com, it struck a nerve.

Contursi writes that Marlins may be the one team in the National League that determines the division winner and how the rest of the four teams will factor into the 2020 season. But it wasn’t because of the positive things the Marlins are doing this offseason, rather because of what the writer perceives to be the same old situation, which isn’t what is taking place at Marlins Park.

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The writer covers the Mets, a team that should be a contender this season for a playoff berth, along with the Nationals, Phillies, and Braves. But let’s not forget that Miami, despite a 57-105 record last season, could be on the brink of making some movement upward in the division. While there isn’t a real chance to make the playoffs this coming season – at least we still pray to the baseball gods – it has been inferred that management doesn’t know what it’s doing in South Florida.

"“Oddly, it’s the Miami Marlins who could well hold the keys to the eventual division winner. Whatever Derek Jeter is trying to do down there isn’t working,” Contursi writes.“He’s done very little to improve the team this off-season, making the Marlins the odds-on favorite to battle the Orioles and Royals for the worst record in baseball.”"

The front office has not made the splash in free agency other teams have so far this offseason and the front office is still clinging to a small payroll and hoping moderate moves will pay off for the better. There are still issues with the bullpen and the lack of a closer, for now, is a bit uncomfortable. But progress has been made. It’s not the giant steps that make a difference in baseball. The nuances and subtle moves like a game of chess are what make things better.

Contursi is right in that he states the Mets and other teams in the division will play the Marlins 19 time each in 2020. He believes winning against the weakest team will help everyone’s cause. But what if the opposite were true? What if Miami does shape the National League East by beating their rivals and causing a commotion? What if the Mets or any other club is reliant on games down the stretch to game playoff positioning?

This team figures to be a better team in 2020. Even a modicum of improvement could decide the division crown. But already determining what the Marlins front office is doing isn’t working is the wrong way to approach this upcoming season.

It’s quite possible Contursi will write stories well into the 2020 season that his Mets and other National League teams aren’t doing enough to figure out how to beat a team that was considered one of the worst in baseball and surprised many with how much it has improved.