Marlins perhaps breaking from binge-and-bust ways

May 11, 2008

The binge-and-bust business run by the Florida Marlins has produced two World Series winners in the franchise's 15-plus years of existence. Plenty of older organizations -- the Phillies (one world title in 125 years) and Cubs (no championships since 1908), for two -- have failed to match Florida's championship haul in the last 100 years.

The small Florida fan base has paid a steep price for those titles. Each World Series win has been followed by a purge of high-priced talent, leaving the Marlins with good prospects but few stars for fans to follow year after year.

What, then, should we make of Florida's commitment to shortstop Hanley Ramirez? Reports surfaced late last week that he and the team were close to agreeing on a six-year, $70 million contract extension.

Have the Marlins reached a point where they will try to compete for playoff berths year after year? Or are they just making sure they have their one established star in town long enough to open a new downtown Miami ballpark in 2011?

Major League Baseball has to be hoping the Marlins are pursuing option No. 1.

Florida began this year with a $21 million payroll after trading star third baseman Miguel Cabrera and popular left-hander Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers in the offseason. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins hadn't awarded a multi-year contract to a free agent or one of their own players since 2005, when they signed Carlos Delgado and extended Paul Lo Duca. Both spent one season with Florida after signing their new deals before being traded to the Mets.

Is it any wonder people stay away from Dolphin Stadium, a football stadium that moonlights as a baseball park in the summer? The Marlins began Saturday last in attendance among the 30 major league teams, averaging only 14,980 fans per game despite being in first place in the National League East.

Perhaps securing funding for a new ballpark will start a culture change for the Marlins. Perhaps ownership will try to build a consistent contender around Ramirez.

History says don't count on it. History says Ramirez won't stay in Florida for the duration of his new deal.

Well, it's time for the Marlins to stop their binge-and-bust cycles. Their long-term health in South Florida hinges on it. Keeping Ramirez around has to be a starting point, not an end point for spending on salaries.

The best of the best starts

Starting pitchers across both leagues -- Arizona's Brandon Webb, Colorado's Aaron Cook, Cincinnati's Edinson Volquez, the Angels' Ervin Santana, the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano, Kansas City's Zack Greinke, and San Francisco's Tim Lincecum among them -- have produced stirring starts. Cleveland's Cliff Lee has trumped them all.

With his seven shutout innings against the Yankees on Wednesday, Lee improved to 6-0 with a major league-best 0.81 ERA. He has yet to allow an earned run in four road starts this season.

Most amazing of all, Lee has walked only two batters in 442/3 innings. That's right; he has three times as many wins as walks.

Lee wasn't even a lock for Cleveland's rotation, earning a spot in spring training after a lost 2007 season. He was 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA in 20 games (16 starts) with the Indians last year, a year that started with him on the disabled list and ended with him left off the postseason roster.

''When you talk about what he's done this year, you have to talk about toughness,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. ''He had to re-establish himself at this level. But he had something to fall back on because of the kind of pitcher he was in the past.''

stephen.miller@mcall.com

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