The one thing that Marlins and fans must hope for. And injury and personnel notes
A six-pack of Marlins notes on a Wednesday:
▪ You want to know what the Marlins and every fan should be rooting for?
That commissioner Rob Manfred gets his way and does not meet overwhelming resistance if he pushes ahead with his apparent preference to overhaul Major League Baseball’s TV strategy and have teams pool their local TV revenue (combined with national TV revenue that is already evenly distributed) beginning in 2028.
A model similar to the NFL’s — where every team gets the same chunk of the media revenue pot — would solve MLB’s competitive balance problem. The problem is finding enough owners to support it.
Under such a plan, local team rights would be sold to a streaming platform that would, in many cases, replace regional sports networks.
That would level the playing field among the haves and have nots, because it would eliminate — or lessen — the large disparity in TV revenue among the richest teams (Yankees, Dodgers, Mets) and some of the poorest ones (including the Marlins).
The Dodgers are making $320 million annually in local TV revenue, while the Marlins are believed to pocket less than $60 million.
That’s one of several reasons the Dodgers have a $380 payroll (including their projected tax) and the Marlins are at $70 million, per spotrac.com.
There are complications with this idea. Some teams have deals extending past 2028; the Dodgers’ TV contract runs though 2038.
Though big-revenue teams already are helping support low-revenue teams, the franchises that make the most TV money assuredly would oppose evenly sharing that media revenue with the low-market teams. There could be enough ‘no’ votes to scuttle this.
A Cubs executive recently told the Wall Street Journal that even though Chicago would consider such a proposal, the Cubs would want to be rewarded for their national brand.
For the first time, my sense is that Manfred takes the competitive imbalance issue seriously and would like to fix it before more fans in more markets join disgruntled Marlins fans and throw their hands up and lose interest.
The only solutions are Manfred’s idea or or a salary cap/floor that players have always resisted.
“Disparity should be, it certainly is, at the top of my list of concerns about what’s occurring in the sport,” Manfred said.
“We certainly have owners in the game who are as concerned as fans are about the level of disparity in the game. … I think that issue, combined with the effect of the changes in the media environment are 1–2 on the radar screen of owners. They’re related, at least right now, because the brunt of the downturn in the regional sports network market has been felt generally in our smaller markets.”
Manfred told USA Today this month: “Look, I don’t know that the next CBA is really the way to address the media issue. I think that the way to address the media issue over the long haul is really in our next national negotiations after the 2028 season. And I do think baseball needs to alter its approach in advance of those negotiations.
“I think we need more central control over all of our rights, whether they’re traditionally done, it’s national or local, and we should be making an effort to make our product more national.’’
▪ For the fourth time in his career, right-hander Edward Cabrera will be sidelined by a blister issue on one of the fingers on his throwing hand.
The Marlins said he will begin the season on the injured list. He likely will miss at least two starts.
“This felt like a chance to give him a proper build-up where he can hit some innings threshold … get into a rhythm before rejoining us,” manager Clayton McCullough told reporters in Jupiter. “With the way it laid out, a couple starts into the season, and then we’ll be able to insert him at a point where he’s got sufficient build-up and innings to go out there and pitch in a game.”
▪ Right-hander Connor Gillispie made his case to fill Cabrera’s rotation slot temporarily with a decent start Tuesday: two hits, two walks, two strikeouts, one earned run in four innings against the Cardinals.
Gillispie has now allowed only three hits and one run in 12 innings this spring.
“We’ve seen he’s a terrific competitor, worker, very open-minded,” McCullough told MLB.com and others. “He’s had a very good camp to this point, someone we can see in a variety of roles: ability to plug in and start if we need to, length out of the ‘pen, bulk innings, however that day might necessitate him. But he offers some real options.”
▪ After picking him in the Rule 5 draft, the Braves are returning reliever Anderson Pilar to the Marlins.
He struggled this spring (14.29 ERA), but had 12 strikeouts in 5 ⅔ innings.
Last season, he had a 2.64 ERA, with 71 strikeouts in 58 appearances in 37 appearances, all but two out of the bullpen, for three Marlins minor-league affiliates in Single A, Double A and Triple A.
▪ Standout Marlin this spring? Shortstop Xavier Edwards, who is up to .326/.431 on base, with six doubles and nine RBI.
Of the projected starting position players, only Edwards and second baseman Otto Lopez (.325, .264, two homers) are hitting above .300.
▪ Biggest concerns this spring?
1). Injuries that will sideline Jesus Sanchez (the team’s most accomplished veteran bat), Cabrera and Andrew Nardi to start the season.
2). Left fielder Kyle Stowers’ inability to make consistent enough contact. Though he has walked 10 times, he also has struck out 15 times and has just four hits (all singles) in 50 plate appearances. Griffin Conine has had by far the better spring, but the Marlins might also need Stowers with Sanchez out.
3). First baseman Matt Mervis, who will get a lot of playing time, has 18 strikeouts, just one walk in 42 at-bats. He’s at .238 with a .256 on-base average.
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 4:56 PM.
