Can we get a do-over?

What if Bruce Sherman would have given Plan B a shot when he bought the Marlins?

I wrote a piece of pure fantasy about a month ago, examining what a 2023 Marlins 26-man roster could look like if it were made up entirely of active players who the club has traded away over the years.

It was, as I said, pure fantasy. It would be a heck of a roster, likely good enough to play in October. But as things stand today with the organization, it would not have been realistic to keep that roster together in this market with a payroll that would have ranked among the highest in the sport.

Today, I offer another “what-if” scenario. And this one actually could have been implemented. It’s easy to argue, especially 6 years later, it should have been implemented.

There’s a very real chance the Marlins would be in a much different place today if Bruce Sherman’s introductory press conference on October 3, 2017 had gone something like this…

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BRUCE SHERMAN: Good morning, everybody. What a great turnout. Thank you for being with us today.

On behalf of my family, my partners—many of whom are here today—and our new CEO Derek Jeter, welcome.

Welcome to a new era of Miami Marlins baseball.

It’s and honor to be sitting in this position today. And it’s a privilege to be sitting in this position today. Like so many of you, I’m a passionate life-long fan of the game, and there are no words to express how excited I am to begin this journey with all of you.

I know the history of the Marlins franchise. I know about the 2 World Series championships and the many great and popular players who have worn the uniform. I also know about the times fans have had their hearts broken and have had their loyalty tested.

Fans of this team have waited a long time for sustained success on the field. And I don’t want them to have to wait much longer.

South Florida is a market that has proven over several decades it will support a consistent winner. We’ve seen it with the Dolphins. We’ve seen it most recently with the Heat.

We’re going to give you a consistent winner.

We have a wonderful 5-year-old ballpark, a true jewel of a place to experience a major league game.

We’re going to give you a reason to pack this ballpark.

I know historically the Marlins haven’t always made it easy to support them or to believe in them, but that’s all about to change.

We paid a lot of money to buy this team. And I’m here today to tell you it’s no longer going to be business as usual around here.

It would be easy for us to come in and look at a team that hasn’t had a winning record since 2009 and hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2003 and just tear it all down, start from scratch with a bunch of prospects who may or may not ever pan out. We could put out an “open for business” sign and have another fire sale, the kind people around here unfortunately know all too well.

The truth is, I’ve had people tell me that’s what we ought to do. They say it’s worked for a couple of teams, and it can work for us.

Well, they don’t own this team.

I do.

I want to see if we can make this work from day one. I want to see if putting a winning team on the field in a spectacular ballpark will energize this fan base.

I think it will.

I want to see if a winning team and great fan support will energize our corporate base.

I think it will.

If I’m wrong, at some point we may have no choice but to tear it down and rebuild and put fans through that whole process again. But I don’t want to do that. I believe we can make this work. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be sitting here today.

So with that said…

You see the 4 men sitting directly in front of me in the front row? Giancarlo Stanton is going to be named the National League MVP in a few weeks. Christian Yelich could be an MVP before too long. Marcell Ozuna? If it weren’t for Stanton, people might be talking about him as the NL MVP this season. And J.T. Realmuto? No one can tell me he’s not the best catcher in Baseball.

Derek and I took these 4 out for dinner last night. I wanted to get to know them a little bit. And I wanted them to get to know me.

By the way, that meal cost me almost as much as I paid for this team.

(PAUSE…WAIT FOR LAUGHTER TO DIE DOWN)

Here’s what I told them: I told them I understand you’re all frustrated with the way things have gone the last few years. I told them to forget about the past. It’s over. I told them we’re going to win. And I told them the 4 of them are going to be the core of the next championship team in Miami.

These 4 players are stars. But we realize they’re not enough. We need to improve this team if we’re going to challenge the Nationals in the NL East. I know we finished ahead of the Braves, Mets and Phillies this season, but those teams are working hard to improve too. So there’s a lot of work to do for us to get to the playoffs and win a World Series.

That work has already begun.

Derek and I have met with Michael Hill. We’ve begun to focus on how we might improve this roster this offseason. There will be impactful free agents available. There are trades that can be made.

I’ve assured Michael that he’s going to have the financial support he needs to put together a team that can compete for the playoffs in 2018.

My pledge to you, our fans, is we will leave no stone unturned in our quest to play in October in 2018 and to build a team that goes to Spring Training with a chance to play in October year-in and year-out.

That’s what I told these guys at dinner last night. We’re close enough that there’s no need to tear this thing apart and rebuild for 4 or 5 years, or God forbid longer, with no guarantee you’re ever going to win.

And Giancarlo and Christian and Marcell and J.T. are on board.

They know we want them here, and each of them looked me in the eye and told me they want to bring a World Series championship to Miami.

My first commitment to our fans is we will put a team on the field that is worthy of your support.

We’re going to do our part. That’s the promise I’m making today. But we’re going to need you to do your part too.

I’m not asking you to run out and buy season tickets today. I’d love it if you would. What I ask for now is that you judge us on what we do this winter. We’re going to improve this roster. And I hope you’ll respond by filling this ballpark on Opening Day and by coming back again and again throughout the season.

As I said, we’re committed to doing our part. Then you’ll hopefully prove me right by doing yours.

I’m fortunate to have my CEO Derek Jeter as a partner in this journey. He will be actively involved with Michael on the baseball side. You may be aware Derek knows a little bit about what it takes to win championships.

And Derek will also be actively involved on the business side.

I will soon be hiring an experienced and respected club president who will oversee the entire operation. My search for the perfect person is already well underway.

I know we have inherited some extremely talented men and women in this front office. It’s great to see so many of them here with us today.

Our new president, who will be an experienced front office builder with relationships throughout the industry, will get to know them and supplement what we already have in place with other exceptional talent to ensure that we excel in sales and marketing and communications and community relations and in every other area.

We have a lot of work ahead of us. But with Derek and Michael working together on the baseball side—and with Giancarlo and Christian and Marcell and J.T. leading us on the field—we are going to win.

And with Derek and our new club president working together on the business side, we are going to run a first-class operation in every way.

This will be a team and an organization the fans of South Florida can be proud of. That’s my pledge to you.

So, again, thank you to everyone who came out today. And thank you to all of our fans who are watching on TV or listening on the radio.

I look forward to having the chance to meet many of you face-to-face soon.

Now, let’s get to work. There’s a lot to be done.

I’m sure you have some questions for Derek and for me, so fire away…

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So what do you think? Could it have worked? Would it have worked? Would your perception of, and support for, Bruce Sherman and the Marlins have been different if this had been the message on day one rather than Derek Jeter announcing the club would soon be making several “unpopular decisions”?

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