Joe Frisaro is a respected journalist, but no one is perfect and he’s simply wrong here. There are many reasons why the Miami Marlins signing Carlos Correa was the right call. Missing out on yet another star player is a big mistake and it’s another thing that I‘m going to explain in full detail here. The bottom line is that we need hitting and Bruce Sherman needs to send the fans the right message about winning. If that message is that Miami isn’t a big market, then MLB needs to step in.
The Miami Marlins management needs to be held accountable.
Joe Frisaro explained his views and there’s logic there, but unfortunately not enough to counter the stronger rebuttals. He says that the Miami Marlins have low attendance and can’t afford large contracts. He also claims that it’s possible to build a winning team without spending $300 million on one player. On the surface, these arguments make sense. However, they break down pretty easily once you start diving deep into analyzing them.
The argument that Bruce Sherman can’t afford $26-$27 million a year is laughably false. Frisaro also constantly says the phrase “$300 million contract”, but while it’s true, it ignores the fact that it’s over more than a decade. It’s kind of like leasing an apartment, you may live there for 10 years and pay $2,000 a month. That means $240,000 for 10 years. Saying that it’s a $240,000 apartment for 10 years would be accurate, but sends the wrong impression of being very expensive, until you realize the actual monthly cost.
The attendance argument is silly as well. Of course if a team is constantly losing, the attendance will be low. Who wants to see their team lose? If a team starts winning, then attendance will rise. Winning starts by having a better team, which starts by having better players. It’s common sense that it means signing players…such as Carlos Correa.
What about Frisaro‘s argument about not needing $300 million players? That’s true, but if we‘re not developing good hitters, what can we do while getting better employees who do that? The answer is sign better players. Another benefit is that it sends the right message to the fans, which also can help boost attendance.