OT: Jeter using "Project Wolverine" to make Marlins Profitable

Submitted by ScruffyTheJanitor on

SIAP, but some potential Marlins investors revealed Derek Jeter's plan to make the Marlins profitable, which he called "Project Wolverine." His plan is as follows:

1) Cut Payroll (Done and Done)

2) Use the $50M from the BAMTech Sales to improve the fatness of their bank accounts (Done, presumably)

3) Renegotiate a TV contract to get a fat $44M payment upfront (which will not be happening).

4) Somehow increase ticket sales after nearly every player that is remotely marketable.

5)???

6) Profit. No, seriously, just profits.

Suffice it to say, fans in Miami are not happy with what feels like purely-profit seeking motives for "rebuilding."

I like Jeets, but I really wish he had named it "Project Sparty."

 

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ScruffyTheJanitor

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:11 PM ^

I have a problem with THAT being his plan to do so. Other than litterally getting a check from the MLB and cutting payroll, rest of that plan seem like terrible, terrible business.

Who in their right mind would think that they would be able to renegotiate a TV Contract in the current media environment? Who would think that the Marlins could sell more tickets by being much worse?

Joined: 02/03/2011

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MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:11 PM ^

Publicly piss off prominent alumni ambassadors - check.

Clean out administration offices - check.

I think we know where this is headed: two free Marlins tickets with purchase of medium Coke. And a big noodle.  Gotta have the noodle.

Joined: 07/02/2008

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UMFoster

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:18 PM ^

Fans who are mad about him trading players away don't understand modern baseball.  Baseball is no longer about going out and buying a bunch big named players.  It's about building your farm system with good prospects that are still on a rookie deal and signing a few veterans.

Look at how the Cubs built their world series team.  The majority of their players were still on their rookie deals so they were cheap and they signed a couple of under the radar guys who had potential (Arrietta).  They added a couple bigger named players (Lester, Chapman), but the bulk of their players were still on their rookie contracts.

The Yankees are following suit.

You go through some down years, but as long as you are able to develop players it works out in the future.

Joined: 01/24/2011

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OwenGoBlue

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:32 PM ^

When prospects become players you either keep them or trade them for good prospects.

Marlins are getting weak returns for very good players and look to be ready to sell more, including guys still under team control for years to come. 

This ownership group appears to have purchased the team exclusively to make money, not to make money and compete, with Jeter as the de facto face/fall guy.

The fans who stayed with the Marlins through the Loria debacle and got this as a reward deserve to be mad. 

Joined: 04/03/2016

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TrueBlue2003

January 4th, 2018 at 1:35 AM ^

of the Cubs 2016 players were on their rookie contract and they had the 6th highest payroll in baseball that year (link).

They are not a good example of the point you're trying to make.

The better examples of teams that win this way are the Indians, A's, Twins, Astros, Royals and the Marlins (for their two WS titles).  It's not preferable to spending big, per se, but you can be good with a modest payroll if you hit a bunch of guys at the same time. 

The teams that spend big still win big (the majoirty of the time): Cubs, Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants. Of course, they don't only buy big money players.  They also have great farm systems but that's often because they can sell good players for prospects because they buy good players, and the cycle repeats.

Joined: 01/05/2010

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Sleepy

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:24 PM ^

...payroll will be $55-ish million this season.  For reference...

2017 MLB PAYROLLS

26) D-Backs, $93 million

27) A's, $81 million

28) Padres, $72 million

29) Rays, $70 million

30) Brewers, $63 million

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