‘We have money and we will spend,’ Marlins’ Bruce Sherman says as spring training begins
On the first day of spring training, Miami Marlins chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman wanted to set the record straight. They were put into a state of flux two weeks ago when the organization and CEO Derek Jeter have “agreed to officially end their relationship” after four MLB seasons, with Jeter saying in a statement that the “vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead.”
While neither Sherman nor general manager Kim Ng would elaborate on what the difference in vision was — both saying that’s a question for Jeter — the two shared a unified front in the organization’s quest for sustainable success heading into Year 5 of Sherman’s ownership group.
And Sherman said he isn’t afraid to open up the checkbook to make it happen.
“We have money,” Sherman said Monday at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex, “and we will spend.”
The Marlins still have areas of their roster that can be improved over the next three-and-a-half weeks before the 2022 regular season begins on April 8 against the San Francisco Giants. They need an impact bat. Another late-inning reliever would be nice, too.
Anything to make sure the team improves on its 67-95 record and fourth-place finish in the NL East. Sherman said the 2021 season was “hard to go through.” Manager Don Mattingly said last year was “a punch in the gut” and has to be a “step backward to step forward.”
“I hate losing,” middle infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. said bluntly.
“We’re going to fix that and want to be competitive not just this year, not just next year — my entire lifetime,” Sherman, 74, added. “I’m not interested in doing anything other than winning.”
The questions remains: On who will they spend and what avenue will be the best for them to pursue for them to start winning on a consistent basis?
“We’ve been on the horn the last few days,” Ng said. “Getting in touch with clubs, talking to agents. I think we’re in a pretty good position. We’re anxious to just make something come to fruition.”
The Marlins have already shown, relatively speaking, that they’re willing to make a splash this offseason. They gave starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara to a five-year, $56 million contract extension; signed free agent outfielder Avisail Garcia to a four-year deal with need at least one more impact bat to to a four-year, $53 million deal with a club option for a fifth season; and traded for infielder Joey Wendle and catcher Jacob Stallings.
Signing another outfielder would be the logical pursuit for an impact bat, given the positional needs on the roster.
The Marlins have the chips to be a factor in the trade market considering the surplus of top-end starting pitching prospects they have in their system to get a top player (say, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds) if they chose to pursue that route.
But there are still quality free agent outfielders to be signed if Miami will pay the price. Michael Conforto and Nick Castellanos headline that list.
Whichever route the Marlins go, the final decisions will be Ng’s. She is now overseeing the Marlins’ baseball operations department following Jeter’s departure with vice president of player development and scouting Gary Denbo serving as her No. 2.
Ng said she was “very surprised” by the decision regarding Jeter but also noted that “in terms of doing my job, it’s going to be business as usual.”
“We did a lot prior to the lockout,” Ng said, “and I anticipate that we’re going to get some things done afterward.”
They have a little less than four weeks to get things done before the season begins.
“I think we can win,” Mattingly said. “That’s the key. We believe we can win. Other than that, it’s just talking, right? ... Now, we’ve got to go prove it. We’ve got to go execute. We’ve got to do the things it takes to win.”
News and notes
▪ Ng said right-handed pitcher Sixto Sanchez has been shut down from throwing after feeling discomfort in his right shoulder that he had surgically repaired in July. His MRI came back clean.
▪ The Marlins have 13 non-roster invites in big-league camp. This includes three of their top prospects in pitcher Max Meyer as well as outfielder JJ Bleday and Peyton Burdick as well as outfielder Roman Quinn and infielder Willians Astudillo, both of whom signed minor-league deals over the weekend.
▪ Right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera was the only player on the 40-man roster not in attendance for the first day of practice but arrived in Jupiter late Monday afternoon.
This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 11:03 AM.
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