Why A-Rod might already be a Marlin...
| 21
|
by Oscarbum
Hard to believe, I know. A team that had a $16 million total team payroll in 2006 will sign the biggest star in baseball for nearly twice that. But all the signs are there. And here's why:
1. The Florida Marlins are shopping Miguel Cabrera. Trading Cabrera does two glaringly obvious things that would open the door to A-Rod heading to South Florida. It eliminates what is likely to be a $12 million paycheck from the team's salary, cushioning the blow of signing Rodriguez, and it opens up third base.
2. The Marlins are shopping Dontrelle Willis. This idea makes little sense if the Marlins aren't trying for A-Rod. The Marlins get a huge jump in attendance when Dontrelle is pitching. Sure, they would save $8-9 million by getting rid of Willis, but he is probably the most popular player among Marlin fans. Getting rid of the D-Train without a marquee name in return makes no sense whatsoever. Particularly in a market as fickle as Miami.
3. A-Rod would love to play in his hometown. Sure, this may not be a huge factor, but it is there. He grew up here. He was a star for the University of Miami and, unlike in New York, the Marlins fans would treat him like Dolphins fans treat Dan Marino. No matter what kind of year Marino had, it was always the team around him that was at fault if they lost. Rodriguez would be treated the same way.
4. The Marlins need the new stadium. Signing Alex Rodriguez would go a long way to showing the ownership's commitment to putting a decent team on the field. It would also bring a lot of attention to the Marlins year round. A-Rod has a good season down here and SportsCenter would likely place Marlins highlights in the first half hour, instead of usually just throwing in a home run or two and cutting to the box score in the last five minutes. And without the new stadium, baseball in Miami is doomed. People just have no desire to go watch an unexciting team in 100% humidity and 90 minutes of rain delays. The new domed stadium is imperative.
5. The Marlins v. the Yankees the weekend before Opening Day. Why does this matter? That's my point exactly. Why on earth are the Marlins promoting a meaningless, preseason series FIVE months early? It was originally scheduled as a two game set, but I spoke with the Marlins' box office today and they are preparing to add a third game. I asked the person if the games were selling that well and their response? Not yet. So why would a preseason series against the Yankees matter? Because the Marlins don't face the Yankees in interleague play this year. And wouldn't everyone like to see A-Rod go up against the Yankees the year after he leaves? It seems that it would make a lot of sense to have the games all ready for sale if there was going to be an announcement made next week.
In short, after dumping the salaries of Willis and Cabrera, the Marlins' team salary would be in the $45 million range if they were to sign A-Rod. Certainly a workable figure given that they were willing to spend more than $60 million in 2005 and Carlos Delgado was the biggest name they signed. Not a ton of people rushing out to the park to see Delgado. But to see A-Rod? That is quite a different story.
All that said, I still see a trade like this happening WAY before I see the Marlins getting A-Rod. Do the Dodgers have any serious prospects to offer that you know of?