The Marlins "seem to have finally found stability and charted a steady, prudent course," as team President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill and GM Dan Jennings "have proved to be an upgraded, capable front office," according to Greg Cote of the MIAMI HERALD. Marlins Park hosting the '17 MLB All-Star Game is a "reward both tangible and symbolic for a club past its turbulence and trending upward." Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria "deciphered the hardscrabble Miami politics to see a state-of-the-art stadium built, but instead of credit he became the lightning rod for a backlash over taxpayers bearing too much burden." Loria was the businessman whose job "was to strike the best deal; it was the politicians whose job was to protect the public interest." Yet the "arrows aimed at Loria." Despite taking "heat over the 2012 'fire-sale' trade" with the Blue Jays that began to disassemble the club, Loria "again downplays but does not deny the negativity many in the community still feel." Loria: "I honestly don’t think much about my own image. You don’t get to where I am without developing thick skin. I’m not here to win a popularity contest. But I care about the game and our city.” He added, "We had to get into the right situation (to invest in the future). The right team, right young players, right leadership. I needed to create stability. ... Those guys here before (in 2012) were rushed to the organization. There were lots of problems in the clubhouse and elsewhere. I needed to do what a good leader does.” Loria admitted attendance in the new ballpark has been “less than I had hoped for,” but thinks that will change this season. Loria said of his impatience for winning, "I didn’t want [to] be like some other teams where it took 20 years to have a winning season" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/5).
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY? In Ft. Lauderdale, Craig Davis wrote the Marlins' signing of RF Giancarlo Stanton to a record 13-year, $325M contract "was the most attention-grabbing development but only one piece in the composite of the franchise's most fascinating offseason." That included "leasing a custom-fitted Boeing 767-200 airliner to get the team to its destinations comfortably and rested, as well as a chef to prepare health-conscious meals for the players." While many in South Florida "remain skeptical that the commitment will continue ... the Marlins are being regarded around baseball with intrigue and legitimacy." Marlins President David Samson said, "I would say the franchise is finally at a period where we can have stability. It seems as though all the noise that has surrounded the franchise, really since 1993, it seems to be quiet and the focus is now on the field, as it should be." Samson said that the offseason moves "have led to increases in all types of ticket sales, but declined to reveal by how much." Davis noted getting the '17 All-Star Game "increased the likelihood that the ballpark will have a different name by the time the game is played." Samson said that he "expects to finalize a naming-rights deal in the next two years, which will pump more revenue into the team" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 4/5).
WHEN PERCEPTION BECOME REALITY: In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde notes the Marlins again this season have one of the lowest payrolls in MLB, but there is "no howling or tearing at old wounds this Opening Day." The Marlins, "for once, can't be labeled cheap." Hyde: "It's shrewd. Sensible. It shows they have a sustainable masterplan with a realistic financial plan for once" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 4/6).
