WHAT IF: Miami Marlins Under Jorge Mas
As Jorge Moss told me today, the ship sailed on him buying the Miami Marlins. But what if it hadn’t and he was the owner? You are Locked On Marlins, your daily podcast on the Miami Marlins, part of the Locked On Network. Your team every day. Welcome into Locked On Marlins, part of the Locked On Network. now the number one sports podcast network. I’m your host Jeremiah Guyger. I’m a diehard Marlins fan and I’ve podcasted about the team for the last four seasons. Make sure you subscribe to the YouTube channel or follow wherever you get your podcast. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season. Visit fanuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. And yes, Jorge Moss himself replied to me on Twitter and I suddenly realized I had the topic for today’s show. What if Jorge Moss had bought the Marlins back in 2017 instead of Bruce Sherman? Big what if. We’re going to get into that today. So, I was just scrolling on Twitter and I happened to see Jorge Moss and his tweet about the the MLS Cup champions, Inner Miami. Of course, he’s the owner of Inner Miami, who has Lonel Messi on their roster and the highest payroll in Major League Soccer. more about that later on. But Jorge Moss said, “Host Championship Reflection. What an epic run to become MLS Cup champions.” And he goes on and it’s it’s just a celebratory post. And I retweeted him and somewhat inest I said, “By the Marlins” with a with a praying emoji. And not even 5 minutes later, I checked my notifications and he had replied to me and said, “That ship sailed with a shrugging emoji, many championship runs still to come with Inner Miami.” And I couldn’t help but feel a sense of a a just a an overall feeling of, man, I I want this guy as my owner. He he’s he’s someone that I believe would have changed the trajectory of the Marlins. And the Marlins we see now and perceive now from an organizational perspective would have been a lot different had Jorge Moss bought the team back in 2017. And I want to I want to take a minute quickly for you guys watching on YouTube. I’m in a very empty room. I just moved into a new new apartment, Eugene, Oregon. Let’s go Ducks. But um bear with me. All right. Uh it won’t be like this forever. Jorge Moss and Bruce Sherman were essentially contesting to buy the team from from the owner Jeffrey Lauria at the time. Sherman offered $1.2 billion. Jorge Moss offered a little bit less. Of course, the big difference and the difference that made headlines is that Derek Jeter was involved in the Bruce Sherman ownership group. That Derek Jeter is involved, you know, former Yankee, one of the most popular players around the country, involved in the sport of baseball, and now he’s going to be a a part-time owner of a Major League Baseball team. And we all know what happened after that. Sherman gets awarded the franchise and immediately started cutting payroll immediately. Just a few weeks in, D. Gordon was tra was traded. Marcelo Zuna was traded. John Carlos Stanton gets traded in a clear salary dump. And it was obvious that the Marlins were entering a completely different world. No longer were you going to have a super lineup. You weren’t going to have these stars. Christian Yelich went on to get traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. JT Ramuto, fast forward a year later, gets traded to the Phillies. It was a complete reset, a complete rebuild. That, by the way, was Bruce Sherman’s first rebuild. This is now his second. We’re starting to see results from the second rebuild. But Bruce Sherman has never made payroll a priority. And that would have been the main difference with Jorge Moss and and Sherman is that Jorge Moss reportedly had plans to increase the payroll to $130 million. The Marlins will not have a $130 million payroll under Bruce Sherman. It it just is what it is. I can almost call that a guarantee. It’s not going to happen. Right off the bat, the Marlins wanted to increase payroll or they would have increased payroll had Jorge Moss been awarded the team and had bought the Marlins. So, that tells me a couple of things. Number one, the Stars would have stayed in Miami. The 2017 team would have added players and and tried to get over the hump in 2018. you wouldn’t have seen John Carlos Stanton get traded. I don’t believe Yelich who had just signed a very team-friendly contract extension. He would have stayed in town. Ozuna is one of those things, you know, where you look back on it and you say at the time you didn’t like the trade because it was part of the rebuild and no fan likes rebuilds, but it got you Sandy Alcantra. And I think that was a win for Miami. one of the few wins that the Marlins saw. I mean, the Yellow trade was a disaster. The Stanton trade was a salary dump. The the JT Realm Muto trade a year later, well, the headliner of that was Sixo Sanchez. And at first it looked great for Miami. You go to 2017, Sixo Sanchez looks like an ace. And what happened there? He he fizzles out. doesn’t pitch in three years, four years, and he’s out of baseball. Lewis Brinson, who is supposed to be the next face of the franchise of this Marlins team, a complete and utter bust. So, I’m grateful that the Marlins got Sandy Alcantara, but I don’t know. I I I think this team would have looked a lot different. The 2017 Marlins had a payroll of $115 million. Jorge Moss wanted to increase it to 130 and that’s with Yelich. That’s with Ozuna. That’s with Stanton. 130 in 2018. You know, you you go from a 77 win team in 2017. Moss also pli planned to hire a new general manager. So there’s also the the what if factor in terms of management and how this team is was constructed. You know, uh Mike Hill was the former president of baseball operations during that late Stanton era. He might have been on his way out. Marlins bring somebody else in. I don’t know who, but this team would have looked a lot different. I don’t believe they enter a rebuild. Now, the farm system, of course, was a mess, but Moss, to me at least, he strikes me as someone that wants to win, as someone that would recognize the shortcomings of his organization and try to improve on what he can’t while still maintaining a respectable level of payroll. I think that’s the difference is that you can still have a good payroll and still reinvest back into the farm system. Under Jeffrey Lauria, David Samson, the Marlins had no concept of analytics and and hopefully Jorge Moss would have bought the team and reinvested finances back into the analytical department much like they’re doing right now. It’s something good that Bruce Sherman is doing. I mean, you see multiple coaches getting hired away by other organizations. To me, that’s a good thing. That shows that your organization is developing. It’s in a good spot in terms of the the people in the room. The what if question to me is interesting, especially in the offseason because we saw a signing a few days ago, Christopher Morell, $2 million. It feels much of the same. Same old Marlins not willing to increase the payroll. And so if the Marlins had increased the payroll, would they have won anything of substance? I’m going to continue talking about Jorge Moss and this big what if question after this. Guys, this episode is brought to you by our friends over at FanDuel. NFL Sundays move fast. One big play and suddenly everything feels different. That’s what makes live betting with FanDuel so exciting. You’re not just watching the game. You’re reacting to it in real time. With FanDuel, you can place bets as the action unfolds. 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Join the Everyday Club today and get Locked on Marlins with no interruptions, membersonly Discord access, and more. All for just $5 a month or $50 a year. Check the link in the show notes down below to learn more. So, yeah, funny story that happened today. I I still can’t believe Porhe Moss replied to me because the thing is is the dude’s a winner. He He wanted to win in Miami. He obviously wants to win with Inner Miami. And that’s what I’m going to talk about, what he’s done for that organization in a league that, yeah, doesn’t have a ton of popularity in the States, but it’s still a professional sports team, and he still runs the highest payroll of any of the Major League Soccer teams. I had uh some friends when I was younger and they liked the Portland Timbers and so that was really one of the first first times I I had got introduced to soccer and I got into soccer for a summer or two. I was like nine or 10 and then of course I I just went back to football, got into baseball. So, I’m I’m not a soccer guy, but if if you listen, you watch the show, and you are a soccer fan, you are an inner Miami fan, the local team down there, then you feel great cuz your team just won a championship. And Jorge Moss is the owner with the highest payroll. And it’s not just the highest payroll, okay? Because teams can spend and they can spend a lot. And it doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. Inner Miami could have lost the MLS Cup. could have. You have to execute on the field. But the difference is is that I feel like Moss is dedicated to the concept of winning. I don’t think Bruce Sherman is dedicated to the concept of winning an investment in the Miami Marlins. Like Moss said to me, he said, “Look, the ship sailed on buying the Marlins, but many championship runs still to come with my team, Inner Miami.” His dedication. He has a generational superstar, a prodigy, one of the best players in the world, Lionel Messi. Lionel Messi, who’s done everything in his soccer career and is now playing in the MLS. I I saw somewhere his contract $20 million in guaranteed uh benefits. There’s a term that MLS uses. I was doing a little bit of research before the show, but he he has a base salary of 12 million, 20 million also. And of course there’s a lots of there’s lots of endorsements that that he gets, but he’s making a good chunk of money, right? That was Jorge Moss bringing in a generational superstar because it’s not just, oh, let’s sign money, let’s spend money. Look at the look at the player who you brought in. That’s like the Marlins signing I’m trying to think of a good example here. I honestly would say Mike Trout because I think Mike Trout’s on the downhill of his career. He’s getting older. Messi’s getting older, but it’s still a household name. And Mike Trout coming to the Marlins for 2026, let’s say, that would make headlines. There would be more attention on the Marlins and there’s more attention on Inner Miami because of Lionel Messi. Side note, if you haven’t watched the highlights of the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, I encourage you to do so. One of the best, if not the the best ever sporting events I’ve ever seen. And like I said, I’m not a soccer guy. I’m a baseball football. Give me some basketball as well. I’ll watch the Olympics, but I will watch the World Cup. And that game with Lionel Messi in Argentina versus France and Mbappé. Incredible. just an absolutely incredible goosebumps. So Moss, let’s let’s go back. Let’s scale it back. Talk about him as the Marlins owner. He brings in this idea that I’m going to increase payroll. He keeps the 2017 core together. Does Stant Stanton eventually get traded? Maybe. What does that mean for pitching? What does that mean for the farm system? There aren’t any guarantees with anything. But I know one thing for certain is that offense from 2017 was electric. It was it was one of the best in all of baseball. If you go back and look at the stats, John Carlos Stanton 59 home runs. He was the MVP by far. 169 OP OPS plus. Yelich, remember Christian Yelich hadn’t fully broken out yet. It wasn’t until he got traded to Milwaukee that he really became a star in his own right. But Yelich 120 ops plus. Ozuna 149 OPS+. You had you had someone like Justin Boore who had a 143 OPS plus. JT Romeo as the catcher, one of the best defensive catchers in the game, above average, hit 17 bombs, had 31 doubles, hit 280. That was that was a legitimate lineup. They’re franchise players all the way across the board. The issue, of course, was the pitching staff. The pitching staff consisted of guys like Dan Straley, Jose Urania, Adam Connley, Vance Worley. I I mean it was it was bad. It It wasn’t somewhere that you thought the Marlins were legitimate contenders because of the pitching. The rotation was just abysmal. And that’s my point is that a new owner comes in, says, “Okay, we have an electric offense. All we need is pitching. We’re going to increase the payroll.” You don’t think they could have done that and made a run 2018, 2019 while implementing a new organizational philosophy under a new general manager who who tries to build up the farm system while maintaining a good payroll. It is a what if because to be honest with you guys, I’m disappointed in Bruce Sherman. I’m disappointing. It’s disappointing the tenure that he’s had up to this point. I was 15 when Sherman bought the team back in 2017. I’ll be 24 in February. I served 5 years in the military. I’m in college now. And never have I seen Bruce Sherman take winning and take investing back into this organization and the payroll seriously. He’s done nothing to change the narrative of the Miami Marlins because the narrative is and will continue to be that they’re cheap, that they won’t spend money. And yes, you can say, well, Avisel Garcia, Jorge Solair, and what happened? Garcia was a complete and utter disaster, and that was an overpay from the start. His numbers were blown up in Milwaukee. Milwaukeee’s a hitter park. He should have never gotten that contract from the Marlins. And you can say that was Derek Jeter. But guess what? Guess what? Bruce Sherman is the major is the owner. and Derek Jeter had his part in it as well. They came in into this thing together. It was a mess. Jorge Solair. Can’t complain about that. But then again, it was 36 million. It was definitely sub40 million. I mean, Jorge Palano just signed a 2-year $40 million with deal with the Mets. So I don’t think you can say Jorge Solair was big money. Garcia Solair. I’m legitimately trying to think of big contracts that Bruce Sherman has handed out and I I legit I legitimately cannot think of them cuz it’s it’s not going to happen. Garcia was the last one. After Garcia, he’s not he he does not want to spend on a multi-year deal. You see it in the headlines. Go read MLB.com. The Marlins have been offering one-year deals. Christopher Morell one-year prove it deal. Tim Anderson one-year prove it deal. Calantrol one year. They’re cheap. Which is why I I think to myself, I get on the show and I talk about Josh Naylor and I talk about investing in a team that was eliminated the final week of the regular season and could have snuck into the playoffs had a couple of things broke their way and they’re not going to do it. And and and I I hope I get proven wrong. Bruce, if you’re listening to this, prove me wrong, please. The fan base wants a winning franchise. The city of Miami wants a winning franchise. They like winners. The Miami Heat. The Miami Dolphins haven’t been winning. And guess what? Fans are sick of it. They’re frustrated because they want to cheer a winner. The Marlins haven’t won anything in 20 plus years. They’ve become irrelevant. Unless you’re a diehard fan, they are irrelevant. I I think, and I don’t want to hear the baseball isn’t meant to be in Miami. No. No. But I I was telling my parents this the other day. I said, “If you’re a family and you want to go out and have a have a day, have a day. just go out and take the kids somewhere. It’s a Saturday. Let’s let’s make some memories. What are you going to do? Are you going to go to a half empty stadium for a team that’s that runs a $40 million payroll and is probably going to get blown out? Or do are you going to take them to the beach? Are you going to go to the do this activity, go see this museum, go to the movies? I mean, there are so many things to do down there. So, why would you spend your money to go to a baseball game when the product’s not good? And don’t give me that. Because when the product is good, when the World Baseball Classic is in Lone Depot Park, you see how crazy it gets. You see the passion of these fans. And that’s what it what it’s about, building up that fan base. Let me know your thoughts in the YouTube comments section. Of course, you can message me on Twitter, tag me, all that good stuff. I want this team to succeed. I really do. And it it’s hard to envision success or investing in success unless everything breaks right for this team. And Peter Bendix, I believe, is the man for the job. But it’s a two-way street. Bruce has to do his part because there’s going to come a point when your failure to reinvest in the young core, reinvest in team success, it’s going to cost you. It’s going to cost you a chance to compete and it’s going to cost you a chance to re-energize and build this fan base. I had a couple of bullpen ideas I wanted to talk about. That’s coming up right after this. The World Cup is coming back to North America for the first time since 1994. And with 48 teams for the first time ever, it’s going to be massive. But let’s be honest, getting tickets is usually the hardest part. That’s why Game Time is clutch. It finally gives fans a real advantage when it comes to snagging seats. With Game Time, you can track price drops in real time, get alerts when great seats open up, and buy tickets the moment they hit the app. Guys, I love Game Time. It It’s what I use when I go to a baseball game, a football game. The other day, I went to a $12 uh football game. Rams and Cardinals um checked game time and and saw tickets. 12 bucks. All in pricing. There were no fees, so it wasn’t really $28 or something like that. It’s 12 bucks. They’re They’re going to give you great deals. So, download the Game Time app, create an account, use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, download the app, make an account, use code locked on MLB for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. Game time. Hey, shout out to all the everyday listeners who make Locked On Marlins a part of your daily routine. I really appreciate the support. Give me a like on the YouTube channel. Hit that subscribe button. Let’s keep growing the show. I can’t wait for baseball season. Couple months away from pitchers and catchers reporting. If you’re new to the show, hit that subscribe button. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section about Jorge Moss, about Bruce Sherman, the concept of increasing payroll, slashing payroll, what the Marlins need to do to build a consistent fan base. I had a couple ideas surrounding the bullpen that I wanted to talk about on here. Number one is that there aren’t any closers left except Pete Fairbanks. And I’d love to see Pete Fairbanks because he’s one of my favorite pitchers in baseball because of his attitude. I mean, him and Tyler Phillips would be one of baseball’s craziest combinations you would see in a bullpen, in a locker room. If you haven’t go gone and watched Pete Fairbanks and his postgame interviews, you should go ahead after this. Go to YouTube, type that in. It’s incredible. He’s also pretty freaking good as well. And the Marlins need pretty freaking good relievers. They need to build their bullpen depth. And it’s something that they haven’t addressed yet. I have a feeling that they will. But the idea of a Pete Fairbanks, I’d be surprised if that happens. I would Fairbanks is good. He He deserves more than a one-year, I don’t know, $7 million contract. I mean, Steven Mattz got a one-year 7.5 million. I don’t think Stephen Matz is as good as Pete Fairbanks. I could be totally wrong. Complete joke, by the way. Fairbanks should get a two-year deal. I I would imagine somewhere around the range of 13 to $16 million per per year. I could be totally wrong, but that’s my guess given the closers market, which leads me to believe again that the Marlins would be out on him. And so, if you’re out on Pete Fairbanks and you’re going to end up signing a a a middle relief, late relief guy who’s not going to get a ton of money, but has solid production, you know, go out and do that. Tell yourself you’re you’re improving the bullpen, but you’re in reality you’re going to be counting on a lot a lot to work. Number one, no regression from Ronnie. Health is another hu huge factor with the bullpen, which is why I wanted to see this this team address it. So, if they go out and get a a B tier relief pitcher, it is what it is. Danny Culum still on the board. I’d actually really like that signing for the record. Um, but yeah, you you missed out on Devin Williams. Helley was another target. Kyle Finnegan ressigned with the Tigers. Kenley Jansen signs with the Tigers. Fairbanks is literally the only free agent who was a closer last season who’s still available this off season. I saw a trade happened two days ago I think the Royals and Brewers and it just got me thinking. Royals send over Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee in exchange for Isaac Collins and one more player. I believe a prospect Nick Mir’s right-handed pitcher. So Casey gets Isaac Collins and Nick Mirs. The Royals, they won that trade. I I don’t know what the Brewers are doing. And the Brewers have the same kind of mentality as the Marlins in terms of trying to be a small market team, low payroll, good analytical presence. I don’t know what the Brewers are thinking. And and if that’s just the relief market, then the Marlins legitimately should consider what a Ronnie Enriquez trade looks like cuz Enriquez is better than Angel Zerpa. And that’s not even that’s not even an argument. Here’s Angel Zerpa’s stats from last season. He went five and two. Wins and losses don’t matter. 4.18 erra 64 and two/3 innings struck out 58. Yeah. Okay. And that got you Isaac Collins. Isaac Collins was one of the best rookie hitters in the entire National League. Really good young player. Now he’s older, but he’s still still around Ster’s age. She’s not like 35, 36, but he is older than I thought at first. Maybe that has something to do with it. But still a two- war player, cross 372 at bats, 779 OPS, and and he is 28 years old, so I stand corrected. A little bit older than I thought, but pre pre-ARB eligible, finished fourth in rookie of the year voting. and then you get another solid relief pitcher if you’re Kansas City. If you’re the Marlins and you see this trade, you have to look at your options in regards to trading Ronnie. And this is this is coming from someone that wants to see this team compete that that thinks the Marlins can compete. But I don’t think they’re in the position as an organization where they’re taking this as seriously as some of us are, if that makes sense. Talked about this last week, the idea of a another development year for these young guys. And if that’s the case, then if you get the right offer for Ronnie Enriquez, I think you move him because Enriquez would get you more than Angel Zerpa. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. Ronnie to me is one of the most underrated closers, underrated relief pitchers in the entire sport. And there was a chance he got moved at the deadline. He stuck around. The Marlins didn’t trade any relievers. They haven’t done anything to address the bullpen this off season. Will they add? Maybe. I think they will. I just don’t think it’s going to be a top level guy. If you get a good offer for Enriquez, you could take it. It’s something to think about. We’re going to wrap up this show today, guys. I appreciate you for listening. For your second listen of the day, check out Locked On MLB with Soleie on the YouTube channel. Hit that subscribe button. Until next time, stay safe, stay locked on, and as always, let’s go fish.
Miami Marlins fans will always wonder: What could have been if Jorge Mas had purchased the team in 2017 instead of Bruce Sherman? Would the stars have stayed in Miami, fueling a postseason surge with a payroll increase? Jeremiah Geiger explores the seismic differences between Mas’s proven winner’s mentality—evident in bringing Lionel Messi stateside—and Sherman’s cost-cutting approach.
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