Trade Could Shift Power In AL; Marlins Payroll Drops Further

Tigers Make Splash At Winter Meetings With Acquisition Of Cabrera (l) And Willis From Marlins

MARLINS: In Miami, Clark Spencer notes with the trade the “penny-pinching Marlins will save millions.” Both Cabrera and Willis were “due pay raises through arbitration,” and both are eligible for free agency after the ’09 season. Barring any significant additions, the Marlins’ ’08 payroll could be $15M, lowest in MLB (MIAMI HERALD, 12/5). In West Palm Beach, Joe Capozzi writes the trade “potentially wipes nearly" $20M off the Marlins’ ‘08 payroll. Currently, P Kevin Gregg, who “could make $2.5[M] in arbitration this winter, stands to become the Marlins’ highest-paid player” (PALM BEACH POST, 12/5). In Miami, Mike Phillips writes the trade is “just another chapter for a franchise that has made as much history in unloading its best players as it has in winning the World Series” (Miami Herald, 12/5). In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde writes the Marlins “could afford Cabrera and Willis with no problem. … The franchise makes bundles of money. It turns a wonderful profit.” The Marlins last season earned an estimated $30M in revenue sharing, $12M from a local TV deal and $18M from MLB’s national TV deal, and the combined $60M comes before ticket, sponsorship or merchandise sales (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 12/5). However, in Miami, Dan Le Batard writes the Marlins’ management “deserves both your belief and benefit of the doubt. It has been earned."  The Marlins have won two World Series  over the past ten years, and the "economics of the sport and the lack of a stadium force the Marlins to make what they can out of coupons and discounts.” An argument can be made that "they traded Cabrera and Willis for Detroit’s farm system -- Florida’s today in exchange for Detroit’s tomorrow. That’s a great deal if you start, as you must, with the premise that Florida won’t and can’t afford Cabrera and Willis” (MIAMI HERALD, 12/5).

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