If you have the money spend it? Is that the motto of everyone from national government to professional baseball teams? The Marlins have apparently walked into a small fortune of some kind. Now that I’ve stated the obvious I can’t help but wonder if this organization is out of their minds? What are they thinking?

There must be something in the water in South Beach that is making people go insane. The Miami Heat spent a ton of money on 3 players and formed a very strong big 3. It didn’t win them a championship but this plan was much better then whatever scheme the Marlins are trying to pull right now. Let’s break it down.

Albert Pujols: No he’s not a Marlin yet but the 200 million dollar offer is on the table. Miami is a great place to play sports. They will have a new stadium. The team just signed Jose Reyes. There’s lots of reason why Pujols may be tempted to head south. However the Marlins would be getting the raw end of this deal. Pujols will turn 32 in January. So that will be his age when he “officially” starts his tenure as the Marlins 1st basemen. You are going to offer him a contract that lasts for 10 years? Are you out of your mind? Emotions are the enemy of reason and I firmly believe that applies here. Marlins management just wants to put stars on the field to draw fans and try to win right now in a very tough division. However some common sense needs to be applied here. By the time the contract is up Pujols will be 42 years old. Who wants a 42 year old 1st baseman? In 5 years Pujols will not be the same player he is right now, that’s just the natural progression of age. Look at what the Yankees are dealing with in terms of A-Rod. They are seriously questioning his deal right now and the Marlins aren’t even living in the same financial neighborhood as the Yankees.

Jose Reyes: Everyone is excited about this signing that is official now. However do Marlins management and fans realize that Reyes has missed 191 games in the past 3 seasons? Call me crazy but I’d be a little worried about this guy’s health if I was going to fork over 100 million dollars cause the guy is made out of GLASS! Glass is a lot of things but durable isn’t a word I’d use to describe it. You want a guy to play 150 games or more for that kind of money and I’d be shocked if Reyes could give them that. Not to mention when he is banged up he doesn’t hesitate to sit and never hurries back from injuries. Combining him with Hanley Ramirez could potentially be a disaster.

Hanley Ramirez: Speaking of the Marlins current or should I say former Short Stop, this is another area of concern for the Marlins. Does he really want to move to 3B? He says he’ll do “whatever it takes” but it’s easy to say that in the middle of winter when you’re sitting at home listening to excited fans talk about your team for the first time in your career. However it’s another thing when you have to go out and actually play 3B at the major league level. His shoulder is still a concern for the team and putting him at 3B just creates even longer throws across the diamond. Do I think Hanley can play 3B, honestly I think he’s athletic enough to make the adjustment but it’s not Hanley’s athletic ability that concerns us. It’s what goes on in between the guys ears that concerns me and should concern the Marlins. If he’s not happy at 3B is he going to act up? Is he going to look to be traded? What is his trade value right now?

Yes the Marlins built a new stadium but there’s no reason to believe that attendance is guaranteed to sky rocket. The team wasn’t selling out games in 2003 when the team won the World Series. There is a lack of interest in baseball down there as both the Marlins and Rays have showed us. People from Florida can argue this all they want but those two teams are always at the bottom of the attendance rankings, year after year. The fans can say that they don’t want to go to a football stadium to watch a baseball game and maybe that’s been the problem all along. But this is the year to prove your loyalty to your team. You’ll have a brand new ball park to call home and with all of these pricey contracts the Marlins have lined up they will certainly have to sell A LOT of tickets.

I respect the teams willingness to compete but when you tie up so much money in just a few players you are asking for trouble. 200 million dollars is a lot of money for a small market club to spend on one guy, especially one that will be 42 when the contract ends. You may have team chemistry issues on the horizon.

The Marlins think they’re building a modern day Titanic. I agree because I believe it will sink like a rock to the bottom of the ocean.

By: Bob McVinua