After finishing last season 77-85, The Miami Marlins began a major overhaul in preparation for the 2018 season. It all began when Jeffrey Loria sold the Marlins for $1.2 billion to Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter. Many Marlins fans were relieved when they heard that Loria will no longer own the team after 15 seasons being in charge.
During Loria’s first year as the owner (back when they were the FLORIDA Marlins), the Marlins beat the New York Yankees in six games to win the 2003 World Series. It was their first title since 1997, and like then, they won as a Wild Card team.
That, however, would be the last time the fish got to play in October.
Now, as one might expect with the new ownership, big changes would come for the 25-year-old franchise. The roster saw arguably the biggest change of all.
The trading of outfielder, Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees (speaking of which), caught several baseball fans off guard. The former Marlins slugger became the league leader in home runs during the 2017 season with 59, (Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was runner-up with 52), setting a franchise record in the process.
In that season, he also lead the league in RBIs (132) and became the first Marlin to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award. All of this came after manager, Don Mattingly, moved Stanton from the cleanup spot to second after Dee Gordon.
The 13-year $325 million contract Stanton signed with Miami was not helping the organization’s piling financial woes, so it came with little surprise that it landed on the chopping block. But where he ended up shocked several people.
In their defense, the Yankees are among a small handful of teams that could afford Stanton’s salary. Not many experts, however, saw the Pinstripes as the top team for Stanton. The Yankees are coming into the 2018 season as the runner-ups of the American League. Their roster includes Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and CC Sabathia.
This time, the Bronx Bombers are working in their new manager, former Yankee third baseman Aaron Boone. Boone, fortunately will have plenty of firepower to work with in the batting order with Stanton now on board.
Other notable Marlins will wear different uniforms this upcoming season.
All-Star outfielder, Marcell Ozuna, had arguably the best season of his career. He posted career highs in batting average (.312), home runs (37) and RBIs (124). Ozuna also received his first Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards in the same season. The 27-year old will play for the St. Louis Cardinals this season.
Outfielder Christian Yelich earned Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards during his time with Miami as well. He also played for Team USA during the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Yelich now has Miller Park as his new home and will be playing for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Speedy second baseman, Dee Gordon, will have a new home in Seattle, Washington. MLB.com indicated that the Mariners have moved Gordon to center field. Gordon has led the big leagues in stolen bases in three of the last four seasons, including last season when he stole 60 bases.
His teammates will include Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz.
According to MLB.com, Marlins catcher, J.T. Realmuto might be the next one off the roster. Realmuto lost his arbitration case with Miami and will receive less money than he proposed. His exit is not official at this time, but the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks appear to be potential suitors for the 26-year-old.
As the 2018 season approaches, the Miami Marlins will have new prospects looking to fill in the ranks, including 23-year-old Lewis Brinson. MLB.com reported that Brinson met former Marlins outfielder, Juan Pierre, at a workout. Brinson looked up to Pierre as an idol.
Pierre knows very well both extremes playing for the Marlins, including winning the World Series in 2003 and enduring a 100-loss season in 2013.
The Miami Marlins will have a lot on their plate in the next few stages of their rebuilding process. Several challenges await Sherman, Jeter and company. These include justifying the fire sale of notable players and improving the pitching roster. Last season, Miami ranked 26th out of 30 teams in ERA (4.82).
Rebuilding teams is never easy, and does not usually create immediate improvement. On top of it all, Marlins Park have had among the lowest attendance ratings in each of the last five seasons. But the new ownership will have to step up if they wish to avoid being called “Jeffrey Loria 2.0.”
Featured image from miamiherald.com
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