Surprised? You shouldn't be
For Bruce Sherman, Operation "Blow Every Ounce of Momentum You May Have Generated" is right on schedule
You’ve likely heard it already, and you’ll continue hearing it until they finally get too hoarse from saying it over and over.
They’re going to keep telling you the major league season is a marathon. And they’ll say it as if they actually have what it takes to succeed over 162 games.
But, just like Bruce Sherman’s pronouncements that the Marlins would work to improve their roster for 2024, these too are hollow words.
The Marlins aren’t going to miss the playoffs this year because of 5 straight home losses to 2nd-division clubs during what has been a disastrous first week of the season.
The Marlins are going to miss the playoffs in 2024 because of what happened in October…in November…in December…in January…in February…and in March when they did nothing to improve the National League’s worst 2023 offense and nothing to add to their pitching staff, which—no matter what they told you and no matter what some of you chose to believe—did not have the depth required to survive, let alone to carry the load, for 162 games.
I first wrote about the Marlins’ need to add pitching last July 4, nearly a month before the trade deadline.
I wrote about it again in September.
I wrote about it again days after last season ended.
Shortly before Christmas, I wrote about what a mistake it would be if the Marlins were to trade any of their starting pitchers, as they were reportedly considering.
And with the impending disaster on the horizon, I wrote about the Marlins needing more pitching, not less, fewer than 2 weeks before Opening Day.
It was so plain to see if you were willing to take a serious look. And yet here they are.
Their starters have averaged just over 4 innings per game in the first turn through the rotation, and their relievers are averaging about 5 2/3 innings per game. Counting on your bullpen to shut down the opposition while asking it to record 17 outs per game is not exactly a tried-and-true formula for success.
They’ve already been forced to twice turn to Triple-A Jacksonville for pitching reinforcements.
They didn’t have enough pitching to make it through the first series of the season.
Gassed in March doesn’t bode well for September.
But here’s the biggest mistake the club made. No matter what Sherman and Peter Bendix told you during the offseason, the truth is they had zero intention of spending the money and making the moves necessary to try to reach the playoffs in 2024. That was obvious the day Bendix was hired to replace Kim Ng, who saw the writing on the wall and wisely ran for the hills in October.
By telling fans the organization was working toward a return to the playoffs, all Sherman did was produce false expectations from fans who, in some cases, may not have seen this movie before. So now people are shocked and dismayed by an 0-5 start by a team whose declining payroll stands 28th in the sport, according to Spotrac.
Sherman, who will save money on his air conditioning bill by playing more games with the loanDepot park roof open this year, should have told you the truth.
As he starts his 7th year of ownership, Sherman has brought in his 3rd head of baseball operations to begin his 2nd total rebuild. Only this time, he doesn’t have the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto to auction off to try to build up a farm system that MLB Pipeline ranked 29th out of 30 across the league this spring.
I told you in November there were many reasons to believe the team was headed for a significant step back in 2024, made all the more difficult for fans to stomach by the surprising success the Marlins enjoyed in 2023.
Sherman wanted you to believe otherwise. He hoped you’d buy tickets. He hoped you’d flock to Little Havana and blow your horns and bang your drums.
But this has been trending in the wrong direction for a while.
Since the All-Star break last season, the Marlins are 31-46 in regular season and post-season games.
31-46.
If you generously round up, that’s a .403 winning percentage and a 65-win pace over 162 games.
Based on what we’ve seen in the first 5 games of the new season, 65 wins seems about right.
And what should make that even harder to accept for Marlins fans is the knowledge that this was Sherman’s plan all along.
While you’re here…
Learn more about one-on-one play-by-play coaching from Glenn Geffner via Zoom at GlennGeffner.com.
Not surprised at the 0-7 start. I suspect they will also be swept in St. Louis and New York. Would not be surprised to see this team sitting at 2-18 or something around there. I predict that before the trade deadline, Arraez, Bell, and any veteran they can move in a complete salary dump will be gone. Who knows, maybe they will be forced to bring up and play Johnston, Edwards, Meyers. Maybe Amaya will pass waivers. Maybe one or a couple of them will turn out to be productive major leaguers. I don't really understand the last seven years under Sherman. I am assuming he is making money regardless of the poor attendance, etc. Aren't people who buy sports franchises supposed to have big egos. Doesn't bother Sherman that he has been a compete failure as an owner. At what point does baseball step in and start putting pressure on owners like Sherman? At what point do the other owners insist on a minimum payroll? He clearly doesn't want to spend the money it takes to win. The situation is not going to get better. I have been a lifelong baseball fan and longtime Marlins fan. It's reached the point where I want them to lose. I want them to lose 120 games or more, maybe break the Mets record in 1962. Maybe, just maybe, the other owners will get fed up enough of paying luxury tax money while owners like Sherman just milk the system. He should be forced to sell. Unfortunately, there isn't much likelihood of that happening.
Now that Bezos lives in Miami we should
start a petition to ask him to Buy the team!
😇