At the start of the 2012 season, the Marlins were re-branded. They had a brand new stadium. They had a new name -- Miami, not Florida. And they had the seventh-highest payroll in MLB ($118 million), filled with fresh free agent signees such as Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. Much like a lot of what happens in South Beach, however, it was all at best short-term and at worst a fraud ... a mirage ... an illusion.
Take a look at those 2012 salaries:
Carlos Zambrano, $19 million: free agent in 2013
Hanley Ramirez, $15 million: Traded to Dodgers
Josh Johnson, John Buck, Reyes, Buehrle, combined $37 million: Reportedly traded to the Blue Jays
Anibal Sanchez, $8 million: Traded to Tigers
So they shed $79 million of last year's payroll already, with more perhaps to come. If they are somehow retooling because this was the wrong mix -- and reinvesting in other quality players -- then we will withdraw some of the criticism.
But it doesn't seem like that's happening. Instead, it seems like pro sports' worst fears realized: a team promising spending if it gets a shiny new publicly financed stadium -- the new Marlins ballpark cost roughly $630 million, with more than $500 million of that coming from the public -- and then quickly slashing payroll, leaving a massive bill for the customers who are watching an inferior product.
