Some big-market MLB teams are said to be "upset that the Marlins are the team with the lowest revenue in baseball," which means they "receive the most money in revenue sharing," according to Jon Heyman of CBSSPORTS.com. Part of that sentiment is because the money is going "to a team with the supposed benefit of a new stadium." An anonymous MLB team exec said of the Marlins, "They're a joke." That exec and others from big-market teams "are said to be further frustrated by the fact the Marlins have MLB's biggest player contract," the 13-year, $325M deal for RF Giancarlo Stanton, as well as some "wasted monies for managerial and executive pay for key decision-makers who were fired long before their contracts were up." However, Heyman noted Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria reportedly is "even more upset at having to need the money." Sources said that Loria, who is "far from pocketing money, has actually been writing a check annually in recent years to cover losses, despite the revenue sharing monies they receive annually." One source suggests that the "annual revenue sharing check the Marlins are to receive" is in the $50M range, the "highest in baseball, above even the Rays and A's." Heyman noted while the Marlins drew about 1.7 million people to Marlins Park this season, "below-average ticket prices hurt them," and "worse still are the local broadcast deals which are the lowest in baseball" (CBSSPORTS.com, 11/12).
JOSE, CAN YOU SEE? The Marlins reportedly have told agent Scott Boras he will not be included in discussions about the workload of P Jose Fernandez, a Boras client, for the '16 season. Next year will be Fernandez' first full season after having Tommy John surgery in '14, and the Washington Post's Kevin Blackistone called the Marlins' stance a "very bad look." Blackistone said, "When you talk about a Marlins team that has been the lowest-paying team in baseball for the last three years basically, you understand what Boras was talking about." The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan said, “This is a lesser of two evils saga, and in this case I must side with Mr. Boras because of the credibility factor. He does what he does very well. I don't think we can say the same for the Marlins.” ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez said choosing between Boras and the Marlins is the “sports definition of ‘pick your poison.'" He said, "I will choose the Boras poison, which tells you everything you need to know about how poorly the Marlins have run this organization” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 11/12).
