Jeffrey Loria makes Miami Marlins a laughing stock in Major League Baseball - MLB Part 3
The reputation of the Marlins is the greatest sufferer in the whole episode of the fire sale by the club.
Even the fans are trying to distance themselves from the team, let alone the prospective players.
Immediately after the announcement of the trade, a current player of the Marlins, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton vented his frustrated by tweeting and expressing his disapproval of the move.
Stanton is a rising star of the team. Even the fans from other clubs enjoy his presence at the plate and like discussing him. For the teams that are conscious about their goodwill and the reputation, a player of his calibre is a great asset, worth giving
importance. Unfortunately the Marlins’ officials are unconcerned.
Far from using Stanton as a player to project a positive view of the club, they treat him as if his absence does not matter to them.
Managing a Major League team is not just about thinking of the business side of the story. It is equally about making the club an attraction for the potential recruits. It is about dealing with Minor League and the Big League issues simultaneously.
Imbalance in giving importance to the issues will leave a weak-link which can affect the whole team in the form of a pathetic performance in the season.
Believing that framing up a quality line-up for the Opening Day roster guarantees success is the most childish understanding that an organisation can make. The Marlins did exactly the same. Unsure about what will be done in case injuries arise or if the
Minor Leaguers are ready for the Big League, they entered into 2012 regular season.
Effectively their officials paid little heed to the process of in-house development and rebranding of the organisation. Of course the change in the name of the club and the uniform coupled with an inauguration of their New Marlins ballpark was an attempt
to create goodwill. It may have been successful but in the end it is the attitude of the management that matters the most.
Regardless of how beautiful the park is or how captivating uniform jerseys are, if top officials are insensitive to players' issues, they will never cherish the idea of joining the club.
Major League Baseball commissioner, Bud Selig has acknowledged that emptying the roster after just one year has disheartened the fans across the South Florida city. He is mindful of their worries as the chunk of the money spent on construction of the ballpark
was theirs.
"So when I say I have this matter under review and I've talked to a lot of our people and I've spent a lot of time here in between all the other meetings - this is a tough place to do it - that's exactly what I mean. It is under review. I am aware of the
anger, I am. I'm also aware that in Toronto they're very happy," Selig stated.
If players fear that they will be fired after just one year, they will accept a smaller amount of money but will not join the organisation that gives them reasons to be apprehensive in this regard.
The thought of having his whole family shift to another city one year after another is distressing for a player. His school going kids move to a new institution which hampers their concentration on studies.
Leaving friends in the city and ending up social bonding with the neighbours are such costs which are rarely considered but their impact on the players is heavy.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Continued in Part 4
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