Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton yesterday officially signed his new 13-year, $325M contract, meaning he has now guaranteed the team "at least six years of his future ... for a chance to change the way a sour South Florida fan base base looks at the organization," according to Manny Navarro of the MIAMI HERALD. The Marlins expect that they will "spend roughly" $60M on payroll this season, with Stanton helping the team "by charging them just" $6.5M, half of what he would have earned in arbitration. Marlins President of Baseball Operations Mike Hill yesterday said that the team "should have enough money to add a first or second baseman and another starting pitcher." The Marlins said that they "would be able to cover the cost" of Stanton's escalating salary by "drawing better attendance and eventually getting more money from a new local TV contract." The Marlins "aren’t set to sign a new one" until '20, but "will negotiate before then." Marlins President David Samson: "There’s no question that in the next two years we will be back to where we were in 2012 (in attendance), and then we expect it to grow from there." Stanton said of Marlins Park, "The last time I saw this place full was opening night (2012). I don’t want to come to an empty stadium. I want to change that." Samson said that during negotiations, Stanton asked him whether the club "would be willing to move the fences in at Marlins Park." Samson added that they "won’t do it" in '15, but could in '16 after they "study it further" (MIAMI HERALD, 11/20). MLB.com's Joe Frisaro noted with Stanton two years away from free agency, "signing the slugger to a long-term deal was the Marlins' top priority, and Miami did so while bending team policy by offering the first no-trade clause in franchise history." Like some fans and media members, Stanton "has been skeptical about where the organization was heading." But now, he is "convinced the team means business about contending" (MLB.com, 11/19).
PIECING TOGETHER PAYROLL PUZZLE: Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria said that signing Stanton "is part of a long-range plan that began with the Marlins' most recent payroll purge two years ago." Loria: "Our goal was to start fresh. It wasn't popular, but we had to do it. We wanted to create a long-term system around young players who would build their entire career with us." Marlins GM Dan Jennings said that the team "plans to pursue multiyear contracts this offseason with several other young players," including P Jose Fernandez, CF Marcell Ozuna, LF Christian Yelich and SS Adeiny Hechavarria. The AP's Steven Wine noted such deals "will be possible for the historically low-payroll franchise only because of the way Stanton's contract is structured" (AP, 11/19). Samson: "We said in order for this deal to work for the next three years before we have increased revenue we have to pay you a smaller amount of money because we need to win, and the only way we can win with you is to surround you with other players." Meanwhile, Samson said that Loria "has no plans to sell" the franchise. Team execs hope that signing their "young superstar and putting a competent team around him will alter the negative perception that has dogged Loria and the franchise, and finally cement the Marlins' place in South Florida sports" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 11/20). In Miami, Greg Cote in a front-page piece writes it is now on Loria, who "so many fans don’t like or trust, to fulfill the pledge that convinced Stanton to stay: Spending to add more pieces, to surround the newly endowed face of the franchise with talent, to create a culture of sustained momentum" (MIAMI HERALD, 11/20).
WHAT LURED LORIA? In West Palm Beach, Dave George writes Loria "surely got what he wanted here, and so did Miami fans, who would have been devastated once more if Stanton had given up on the Marlins ever amounting to anything and flown the coop." South Florida "has some scars that need healing before Marlins Park becomes a tough place to get a ticket." Loria still "may not fully appreciate that in the wake of this epic financial commitment." However, the Stanton signing gives Loria "another roll of the dice with Marlins fans." He is "always bold enough to try, and always convinced that ultimately he will win" (PALM BEACH POST, 11/20). MLB.com's Phil Rogers wrote while it is "hard to see beyond the money in a precedent-setting contract," if it "plays out as it is designed, if the Marlins can take advantage of the mulligan they're being given to start packing their brightly colored three-year-old palace in Little Havana, it will be more than a turning point for Loria's franchise." It "will be a great thing" for MLB. Thanks to Stanton's commitment, the Marlins "are getting a second chance to gain a foothold in Miami" (MLB.com, 11/19). CBSSPORTS.com's Jon Heyman wrote Stanton is "worth betting on," as he is "a rare one that should transcend the sport." He "may not yet be the LeBron of the area," but the 25-year-old is "extremely focused, team oriented, hard-working and unfailingly polite." Stanton "certainly is one of the five or so ballplayers you'd want to start a team with" (CBSSPORTS.com, 11/19). However, ESPN's Keith Olbermann called the deal “just another Marlins scam, and look at poor Stanton, he bought it.” Olbermann: “The only thing the Marlins are skilled at is spending money -- or seeming to spend money” (“Olbermann,” ESPN2, 11/19).
TICK-TOCK OF THE DEAL: In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde reports Stanton's deal began in "late October in a side room at Bobby Vans Steak House" in N.Y., where team execs met for their annual organizational meeting. Samson at one point "left the dinner room and called" Wasserman Media Group Exec VP/Baseball Joel Wolfe, who reps Stanton. Samson said to Wolfe, "We want to come out to California to talk with Giancarlo and you." Wolfe "called Stanton, then called Samson back a few minutes later. 'If you’re willing to talk about a lifetime deal, we should sit down.'" Along the way, Stanton "wrestled with questions" of Loria’s commitment, "sacrificed millions early in the deal to assure a winning team, spent several sleepless nights pondering marrying the Marlins this long and refused to budge on a final hurdle: An opt-out clause in the deal after six years." Stanton: "That was my fail-safe." Two weeks after that steak-house phone call, the two sides met in L.A., where Stanton and Wolfe "talked for four hours with the Marlins team" of Loria, Samson, Hill, Jennings and manager Mike Redmond (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 11/20).
